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THE 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF ENGLAND. 



DERBYSHIRE. 



TWENTY-THREE ENGRAVINGS ON WOOD, AND AN ILLUMINATED 
MAP OF THE COUNTY. 



-3 



LONDON: 
CHARLES KNIGHT & CO., LUDGATE STREET. 






LONDON: 

Printed by William Clowes and Sons 
Stamford Street. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I.— General Description. 

Page 
Situation, Boundaries, and Extent ...»..«• I 

Physical Topography ......... 2 

Surface ............ 2 

Hydrography . • • . . . . . • . .4 

Geology and Mineralogy ......... 7 

Agriculture and Rural Economy . . . . . .11 

History and Antiquities • • . . . . . .15 

Political Topography . . . . . . . .19 

Population and Occupations • • • • • • • • .19 

Legal and Ecclesiastical Divisions ........ 20 

Fairs and Markets .......... 21 

The Barmote Courts 23 

Value of Benefices .......... 24 

Civic Economy • . . . • . . . • .26 

Local Taxation and Expenditure ........ 26 

Educational and Criminal Statistics ........ 28 

Savings' Banks •••.•....••29 

CHAPTER II. — Means of Communication between Derby- 
shire and London, &c. 

Local Railways 31 

Birmingham and Derby Railway . • 32 

Midland Counties Railway . «.. . 33 

North Midland Railway and Distance Table . . . . . . 34 

Sheffield and Manchester Railway 36 



IV CONTENTS. 

Page 

Turnpike Roads . 36 

Canals 37 

Distance Table for Towns in Derbyshire ....... 39 

CHAPTER III.— The Derby Railway Station. 

Account of Derby .,...•..•..41 
The Arboretum ........... 50 

CHAPTER IV. — Excursions in the Vicinity of Derby. 

Roads south and north of Derby ........ 57 

Vicinity of the Birmingham and Derby Railway . . . . .58 

Vicinity of the line of Railway from Derby to Nottingham .. . . ,61 

Derby and Mansfield Road ......... 62 

Kedleston 63 

CHAPTER V. — Excursion on the North Midland Railway. 

Amber Gate Station and Vicinity . . . • . . . .65 

Winfield Manor House . 70 

HardwickHall 72 

Chesterfield 73 

Bolsover Castle ........... 76 

CHAPTER VI.— Matlock. 
The Baths, Caverns, &c. &c 83 

CHAPTER VII.— Excursions in the Neighbourhood of 
Matlock. 

Chatsworth . . . . . . . . • « • .91 

Chatsworth to Ashford and Bakewell ....... 99 

Monsai Dale 100 

Bakewell . . .101 

HaddonHall 104 



CONTENTS. 

Page 
Dove Dale and Ashbourn . . . . . . . . 1 06 

Arbor Low, the Router Rocks, Robin Hood's Stride, &c. &c. . . .112 

To Winfield Manor House and Hardwick Hall 115 



CHAPTER VIII.— Buxton. 

The Baths and Waters, &c 117 

CHAPTER IX.— Excursions from Buxton. 

Pool's Hole 124 

Diamond Hill 125 

Chee Tor and Miller's Dale 125 

Axe-Edge, Combe's Moss, the Marvel Stone . . . . . .126' 

Chapel-en-le-Frith 128 

Glossop ............ 128 

The Ebbing and Flowing Well 129 

Eldon Hole 129 

Mam Tor . . . 130 

Odin's Mine ........... 130 

Peak Cavern ........... 134 

Castleton ............ 136 

Peveril Castle ......... . i$q 

The Winnets ........... 140 

Speedwell Mine ........... 140 

Blue John Mine ••••.....•.. 141 

Hathersage ............ 142 

Stoney Middleton . . . . . . s . . .144 

%am 145 

Tideswell 147 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Page 

1. Derby Railway Station ......... 40 

2. House in which the Pretender lodged at Derby . . . .44 

3. New Buildings, Derby . . . .' 48 

4. Lodge and Entrance Gates, Arboretum ...... 50 

5. Public Room in the East Lodge ....... 52 

6. Pavilion in the Arboretum • . . . . , . .53 

7. Sir Thomas Lombe's Silk Mill, Derby 54 

* 8. Miners' Standard Dish . . . ... . .66 

9. Winfield Manor House 70 

10. Hardwick Hall : the Grand Gallery . 74 

11. Bolsover Castle 77 

12. Matlock High Tor . 84 

13. Chatsworth 93 

14. HaddonHall 103 

15. Entrance to Dove Dale . . . . • . . . .108 

16. Scene in Dove Dale 110 

17. Pigs of Lead 131 

18. Odin's Mine 132 

19. Peak Cavern 133 

20. Plan of Peak Cavern 135 

21. Peveril Castle 137 

22. Plan of Peveril Castle 139 

23. Hathersage Church 143 



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THE 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



CHAPTER L 
GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 



SITUATION, BOUNDARIES, AND 
EXTENT. 

Derbyshire, a midland county of 
England, bounded on the north-east 
by Yorkshire, from which it is partly 
separated by the rivers Derwent, 
R other, and Sheaf; on the north-west 
by Cheshire, from which it is in this 
quarter separated by the river Etherow ; 
on the west by Cheshire, from which 
it is here separated by the river Goyt, 
•and Staffordshire, which latter county 
bounds it also on the south-west (the 
Dove separates Staffordshire from 
Derbyshire on the west, and the Dove 
^nd the Trent on the south-west) ; on 
the south-east by Leicestershire, from 
which it is partly separated by the 
Trent; and on the east by Notting- 
hamshire, from which it is separated 
by the Erewash. Its form is irregular ; 
the greatest length is from north (from 
the point where the three counties of 
Derby, Chester, and York meet) to 
south (near Lullington on the Mease, 



a feeder of the Trent) 56 miles ; the 
greatest breadth is from east (Holm 
Car Farm, near Worksop, Notts) to 
west (near Chapel-en-le-Frith) 34 
miles. The area of the county is esti- 
mated at 1010 square miles by Arrow- 
smith, 1028 square miles according to 
the statement subjoined to the Abstract 
of the Answers and Returns made in 
1831 under the Population Act, or 1036 
by taking the area of the different 
parishes. The population in 1831 was 
237,170, or about 235, 231, or 229 to a 
square mile, according to the compu- 
tation of the area which we adopt. 
Derby, the county town, is 114 or 115 
miles N.N.W. of London in a straight 
line, or 126 miles by the London and 
Manchester road. 

The county is comprehended be- 
tween 52° 41' and 53° 30' N. lat. and 1° 
10' and 2° 4' W. long. ; the county town 
is in 52° 55' N. lat. and 1°29' W. long. 
Besides the main part of the county 
bounded and situated as above, there is 
a small detached portion near the 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



southern extremity, inclosed "between 
the counties of Warwick, Leicester, 
and Stafford. It contains the villages 



and parishes of Measham, Stretton-in- 
the- Fields, and Wilsley, and the vil- 
lage and chapelry of Chilcote.* 



PHYSICAL TOPOGRAPHY. 



SURFACE. 

The southern and south-eastern 
parts of Derbyshire maybe considered 
as on the whole flat, yet they have an 
easy ascent towards the north-western 
portion, which comprehends one of the 
most elevated and rugged districts in 
England. This part (which is com- 
monly known by the name of the Peak) 
is occupied by a part of that range of 
high lands, which some geographers 
have designated the Penine chain, 
which separates the waters which flow 
into the sea on the eastern side of the 
island from those on the west side. This 
chain of mountains enters the county 
at or near its northern extremity, and 
the principal ridge runs in an irregular 
line S.S.W. till it enters Staffordshire 
a few miles S.W. of Buxton. Along 
this ridge are the following heights : 
Dean Head Stones, 539 feet high ; 
Blakelow Stones, which Farey consi- 
ders to be the highest point of the ridge 
and of the county generally ; Kinder- 
scout, which Farey considers to be in- 
ferior in height only to Blakelow 
Stones, and which is stated, we pre- 
sume, in round numbers, to be 1800 
feet high (Phys. and Pol. Geog. of the 
Brit. Isles, in Lib. of Usef Kn.) ; and 
the northern and middle peaks of Axe 
Edge Hill, the southern peak being in 



Staffordshire. The northern or great 
summit of Axe Edge Hill has been 
stated to be 1875 feet above the level of 
the sea (Farey), but later observations 
have reduced it to 1751 feet ; Lord's 
Seat, to the east of the principal ridge 
of the Penine chain, is 1751 feet high. 
This ridge divides the basin of the 
Mersey from that of the Trent, one of 
that large system of rivers which has 
the Humber for its sestuary. From 
this, the principal ridge of the chain, 
lateral ridges proceed, which bound 
the subordinate basins of the various 
affluents of the greater rivers mention- 
ed already. One of these lateral ridges, 
branching from the principal ridge 
near Axe Edge Hill and running 
south-east, separates the basin of the 
Derwent from that of the Dove. The 
length of this ridge, following its 
windings, is estimated at 46 miles ; but 
the length of a direct line between its 
extremities is not estimated at more 
than 35i miles. The ridge, which 



* We give the above dimensions and the latitude 
and longitude of the extreme points from Arrow 
smith's map. The length and breadth, as given in 
Farey's Agricultural Survey (where the detached 
portion of the county is included), are nearly the 
same as we have given ; but the county is said to be 
comprehended between 52° 3S' and 53° 27' N. lat., 
and between I 9 13' and 2° 3*' W. long. 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 



forms the eastern boundary of the basin 
of the Derwent, and which extends in 
a winding course about 67 miles, does 
not wholly belong to Derbyshire. It 
branches off from the Penine chain, in 
Yorkshire, and approaching the bor- 
der of that county towards Derbyshire, 
runs along the boundary, then enters 
Derbyshire, and proceeds in a south- 
eastern direction across the east moors 
of the county into Nottinghamshire. 
The first part of this ridge separates 
the waters of the Derwent from those 
of the Don, the part nearest to Notting- 
hamshire from those of the Rother, a 
feeder of the Don. In this ridge is the 
hill called Ox Stones, 1377 feet high, 
between Sheffield (Yorkshire) and 
Hathersage. Alport or Opit Hill, 
south-east of Wirksworth, is 980 feet 
high. It is said that from this eminence 
the Wrekin hill, near Shrewsbury, 
which is 50 miles distant, may be seen. 
The Derbyshire highlands are inter- 
sected by narrow valleys or dales 
abounding with the most striking and 
picturesque scenery. We subjoin the 
following observations from Rhodes' s 
Peak Scenery (8vo. edit., Lond., 1824). 
' A more marked and obvious contrast 
in form and feature is scarcely to be 
met with in any part of the kingdom 
than the county of Derby presents. 
The more southern districts, though 
richly cultivated, are generally flat and 
monotonous in outline ; to the pictur- 
esque traveller they are therefore com- 
paratively of but little value : approach- 
ing its northern boundary it wears a 
more dignified aspect : here the hills, 



gradually assuming a wilder, a bolder, 
and a more majestic appearance, swell 
into mountains which, extending to the 
most elevated parts of the Peak, min- 
gle their summits with the thin white 
clouds that often float around them. 
Such are the appearances that often 
occur amongst the mountains of Der- 
byshire. Descending into the dales, 
especially those through which the 
Derwent, the Dove, and the Wye 
meander, the eye is enchanted with 
brilliant streams, well-cultivated mea- 
dows, luxuriant foliage, steep heathy 
hills, and craggy rocks, which admi- 
nister to the delight of the traveller, and 
alternately soothe or elevate his mind 
as he moves along. 5 

The broadest and the deepest valleys 
are in the higher parts of the Peak. 
The picturesque beauty of the valleys 
is increased by the frequently precipi- 
tous character of the hills or rocks 
which bound them. The faces of these 
rocks rise up almost perpendicularly 
from the sides of the valleys, as maybe 
observed near Castleton in the centre 
of the Peak, and near Stoney Middleton 
in the valley of the Derwent, where the 
Castle Rock rises to a vast height, and 
obtains its name from the singular and 
turret-like form which its craggy pro- 
jections and points assume. Matlock 
High Tor, and other rocks in Matlock 
Dale, and the rocks which skirt some 
parts of the valley of the Dove, are of 
this precipitous character. In the 
smaller and narrower dales the projec- 
tions of one side have corresponding 
recesses on the other. 

b 2 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



HYDROGRAPHY. 

The rivers of Derbyshire rise, for the 
most part, in the north-western and 
more elevated part of the county, and 
have a course toward the south or south- 
east. This is the case with the Der- 
went and its principal affluent the Wye, 
with the Dove, which is the boundary 
river of Staffordshire and Derbyshire, 
and those of its tributaries which be- 
long to the latter county. In the east- 
ern part of the county about Chester- 
field, which is separated from the 
other parts by the ridge of high land 
which bounds on the east side the val- 
ley of the Derwent, the direction of the 
stream that drains it (the Rother) is 
north-east. In the extreme north- 
west there are a few streams that flow 
westward into the Etherow or Goyt, 
and so into the Mersey. 

The Derwent rises in a place called 
* the Trough/ on the border of York- 
shire and Derbyshire, where the prin- 
cipal ridge of the Penine chain enters 
the latter county, and has a S.S.E. 
course. Four or five miles from its 
source it receives a stream (the West- 
end river) of about the same length as 
itself, and about 9 or 10 miles from 
its source it is joined by the Ashop 
river, into which the Alport brook 
flows ; and three miles lower down it 
receives the Noe or Now, from Hope 
Dale : all these tributaries join it on 
the west or right bank. From the 
junction of the Now the Derwent flows 
on through Chatsworth Park, 12 
or 13 miles, until it meets the Wye 
at Great Rowsley, not receiving in the 



way any accessions worth notice, ex- 
cept the brooks Burbadge and Bar- 
brook, which fall into it on the left 
bank. The Wye rises near the Axe 
Edge Hill in the principal ridge of the 
Penine chain, and flows to the south- 
east through Miller's Dale and Monsal 
Dale and past the town of Bakewell 
into the Derwent : its whole course is 
more than 20 miles. From the junc- 
tion of the Wye the Derwent flows 
on in the same direction (S.S.E.) as 
hitherto to Derby, and receives [in its 
way the river Amber, about 14 miles 
long, which joins it on the left bank 
above Belper, and the Ecclesburn from 
Wirksworth, about 10 miles long, which 
joins it on the right bank. From the 
junction of the Wye to Derby is about 
25 miles. Below Derby the river runs 
south-east with a sinuous course of 
about 12 miles into the Trent : this part 
of the river was made navigable some 
years since, but the navigation of it has 
been superseded by the cutting of the 
Derby Canal. Its whole course is about 
60 to 65 miles. * In the space of 40 
miles, which includes the whole course 
of this river from the highest and wild- 
est parts of the Peak to the town of 
Derby, scenery more richly diversified 
with beauty can hardly anywhere be 
found. Generally its banks are luxu- 
riantly wooded : the oak, the elm, the 
alder, and the ash, nourish abundantly 
along its course ; beneath the shade of 
whose united branches the Derwent is 
sometimes secluded from the eye of the 
traveller and becomes a companion for 
the ear alone ; then, suddenly emerging 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 



into day, it spreads through a more 
open valley, or winding round some 
huge mountain or rocky precipice re- 
flects their dark sides as it glides be- 
neath. Sometimes this ever-varying 
and ever-pleasing stream precipitates 
its foaming waters over the rugged pro- 
jections and rocky fragments that 
interrupt its way : again the ruffled 
waves subside and the current steals 
smoothly and gently through the vale, 
clear and almost imperceptible in 
motion.' ( Rho de s' s Peak Scenery.) The 
course of the Wye is generally through 
narrow dells with precipitous sides : it 
receives a small tributary, the Lathkill, 
just before it falls into the Derwent. 
The current of the Derwent is rapid, 
and its waters are said to be of a higher 
temperature than ordinary ; in the 
summer season it is said the thermo- 
meter will stand in them at 66* Fahren- 
heit, and in severe weather it has been 
observed that the Derwent has not been 
frozen so early as the Trent, and has 
become open nearly a month earlier. 
(Pilkington's Derbyshire.) 

The Dove rises on the border of 
Staffordshire and Derbyshire, in the 
slope of the Axe Edge Hill, and is, 
throughout its course, the boundary 
between the counties. Its course is 
S.S.E., with little variation for about 20 
miles, to Hanging Bridge by Ash- 
bourn, just above and below which 
bridge it receives its first two Derby- 
shire tributaries of any consequence, 
viz., a stream which comes from the 
village of Parwick, about 9 miles long, 
and the Schoo, which rises near Wirks- 



worth, and flows by Ashbourn into the 
Dove, after a course of about 10 miles. 
The Dove, in the upper part of its 
course, ' is one of the most beautiful 
streams that ever gave a charm to land- 
scape : and while passing through the 
first and least picturesque division of 
the Dale (Dove Dale), the ear is 
soothed by its murmurings, and the 
eye delighted with the brilliancy of its 
waters— in some places it flows 
smoothly and solemnly along, but 
never slowly ; in others its motion is 
rapid, impetuous, and even turbulent. 
The ash, the hazel, the slender osier, 
and the graceful birch, hung with 
honeysuckles and wild roses, dip their 
pensile branches in the stream and 
break its surface into beauteous ripples. 
Huge fragments of stone, toppled from 
the rocks above, and partly covered 
with moss and plants that haunt and 
love the water, divide the stream into 
many currents ; round these it bub- 
bles in limpid rills that circle into in- 
numerable eddies, which by their ac- 
tivity give life and motion to a nume- 
rous variety of aquatic plants and flow- 
ers that grow in the bed of the river : 
these wave their slender stems under 
the surface of the water, which, flowing 
over them like the transparent varnish 
of a picture, brings forth the most vivid 
colouring. Occasionally large stones are 
thrown across the stream, and interrupt 
its progress : over and amongst these 
it rushes rapidly into the pool below, 
forming in its frequent falls a series of 
fairy cascades, about which it foams 
and sparkles with a_ beauty and bril- 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



liancy peculiar to this lively and ro- 
mantic river.' (Rhodes's Peak Sce- 
nery.) Below its junction with the 
Schoo, the Dove flows south-west for 
about 3 or 4 miles ; then south for 
about 7 more, receiving by the way the 
Churnet, its largest Staffordshire tri- 
butary ; it then flows in a winding 
course E.S.E. for 12 or 14 miles, and 
falls into the Trent just below Burton, 
receiving several streams, the longest of 
which rises near Atlow, between Ash- 
bourn and Belper, and has a course of 
above 15 miles. The whole course of the 
Dove maybe estimated at from 40 to 45 
miles. The waters of this river have 
a clear blue tint, deepening through 
various shades to a dark purple. It 
frequently overflows its banks in the 
spring ; and the fertilizing effect of 
these floods has given rise to the 
distich — 

* In April, Dove's flood 
Is worth a king's good.' 

Sometimes, however, the waters rise 
with such rapidity and violence as to 
be very destructive. 

The Erewash rises in Nottingham- 
shire, near the village of Kirkby, and 
flowing W.S.W. for about 3 miles 
reaches the border of Derbyshire, and 
then flows, first S.W. and then S. by 
E., along the boundary of the two 
counties into the Trent. Its whole 
course is about 20 miles. 

The Mease rises in Leicestershire, 
near Ashby-de-la-Zouch, and flows 
first S.S.W., then W., and then 
N.N.W., into the Trent. Its course, 
which is about 18 or 20 miles, is for a 



short distance, in the detached portion 
of Derbyshire, partly on the border of 
the county, and partly beyond the 
border, in the counties of Leicester 
and Stafford. 

These four rivers fall into the Trent, 
which crosses Derbyshire in a direc- 
tion nearly north-east. It touches the 
border 5 or 6 miles north-east of Lich- 
field, just at the point where the Mease 
falls into it, and flows about 10 miles 
N.N.W. along the border of Derby- 
shire and Staffordshire, past Burton- 
upon-Trent, in Staffordshire, until its 
junction with the Dove, after which it 
quits the border, and runs nearly due 
east through Derbyshire for about 11 
miles to the border of Leicestershire. 
It then turns E.N.E. and runs for about 
10 miles along the border separating 
Derbyshire from Leicestershire and 
Nottinghamshire, till its junction with 
the Erewash, after which it quits 
Derbyshire altogether. The Derwent 
falls into it about 5 miles above the 
junction of the Erewash. About 31 
miles of the course of the Trent are 
thus upon or within the Derbyshire 
border. It is calculated (Farey, Agri- 
cultural Survey of Derbyshire) that it 
receives the drainage of ten-thirteenths 
of the county, exclusive of the streams 
in the eastern part which flow into the 
Idle, one of the tributaries which joins 
the Trent in the lower part of its course. 
The Trent is navigable from Burton- 
upon-Trent, but in 1805 the navigation 
was given up by agreement with the 
proprietors of the Trent and Mersey 
Canal, which runs by its side, and the 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 



navigation of the river now com- 
mences just at the junction of the 
Derwent. 

The Goyt rises near Axe Edge, and 
flows N.N.W. along the border of 
Derbyshire and Cheshire, about 14 
miles, till its junction with the Etherow, 
which has a south-west course of about 
15 or 16 miles chiefly on the border of 
the same two counties. The springs 
of the Etherow are in Yorkshire and 
Cheshire. The united stream of these 
two rivers flows into the Mersey at 
Stockport. They receive many small 
streams from the adjacent part (the 
High Peak) of Derbyshire. 

The Rother rises in the East Moor, 
a mile or two east of Chatsworth Park, 
and flows eastward about 8 miles to 
Chesterfield, where it turns to the 
north-east and flows into Yorkshire. 
About 22 or 23 miles of its course be- 
long to Derbyshire. It joins the Don 
at Rotherham in Yorkshire. The 
Dawley (10 miles long) is its only 
Derbyshire tributary that requires 
notice. This rises on the Notting- 
hamshire border and flows north past 
Bolsover. 

The Sheaf, which joins the Don at 
Sheffield, the Wallin, the Poulter, and 
the Ryton, whose waters flow directly 
or ultimately into the Idle, rise in 
Derbyshire. 

GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY. 

That part of Derbyshire which lies 
south of a line drawn through Ash- 
bourn, Duffield, and Sandiacre, is al- 
most entirely occupied by the red marl 



or new red sandstone, a formation 
which overspreads so large a portion 
of the midland counties. There are 
indeed a few spots in which the mag- 
nesian limestone, which ordinarily 
underlies it, rises to the surface ; and 
just on the Leicestershire border, near 
Ashby-de-la-Zouch, the coal-measures 
emerge from beneath it, and form one 
or two small detached coal-fields. In 
many parts, and especially along the 
valleys of the lower Derwent and the 
Trent, the red marl is covered by beds 
of gravel, and upon the gravel alluvial 
flats of loam or sandy loam, of from 
one to several feet in thickness, and 
without stones, are occasionally found. 
The strata of the red marl present 
considerable variety : among them are 
some micaceous gritstone beds, pro- 
ducing a good freestone ; other strata 
are not concreted, but appear as sand, 
red, white, and yellow ; others are 
more clayey, and from them bricks 
and tiles are made. The strata of the 
red marl formation are generally hori- 
zontal or nearly so. Several deposits 
of gypsum are found in this formation, 
and are quarried in several places, as 
at Darley Abbey, in the tongue of 
land formed by the Derwent and the 
Trent, and in the southern extremity 
of the county. That gypsum which 
is quite white, or only faintly streaked 
with red, is used by the potters of 
Staffordshire (as plaster of Paris) for 
their moulds ; some fine blocks are 
selected for the turners of alabaster 
ornaments, and the inferior sort is used 
by plasterers for ordinary purposes, or 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



for making the plaster floors often seen 
in this county. Seme of the best land 
in or near Derbyshire lies on the red 
marl ; in general, however, it is in- 
clined to he too tenacious and cold. 
This formation also occupies a very 
small portion of the county at its east- 
ern extremity. 

The newer magnesian or conglome- 
rate limestone, which crops from under 
the red marl of Nottinghamshire, and 
skirts it on its western border, extends 
into the eastern part of Derbyshire, 
where it occupies the part east of a 
line drawn north and south through 
Bolsover. The thickness of this form- 
ation is probably 300 feet. The gene- 
ral colour is yellow, of various shades, 
from a bright gamboge to a light straw 
colour or white. Many of the beds 
have a granular texture, and cannot 
be calcined ; they have generally pass- 
ed with the inhabitants for gritstone 
rather than limestone. This limestone 
is quarried for building, also for floor- 
ing and staircases. Towards the bottom 
of the series are several beds of com- 
pact blue limestone, embedded in blue 
clay, and abounding with shells. This 
blue limestone yields excellent lime ; 
it is quarried at Bolsover, where also 
pipe clay is obtained : the pipe clay 
separates the limestone beds. The 
strata of the magnesian limestone form 
a better subsoil for arable than for 
grass land. 

The coal-measures underlie the mag- 
nesian limestone, and crop out from 
beneath it on the west. These coal- 
measures form part of that important 



coal-field which occupies a conside- 
rable part of the west riding of York- 
shire, and extends into Nottinghamshire 
and Derbyshire, being bounded on the 
east by the magnesian limestone, and 
on the south by the red marl. The 
strata range from north to south, and 
dip to the east. The Derbyshire 
portion of this coal-field is east of a 
line drawn from between Hathersage 
and Sheffield to Little Eaton, near 
Derby. There are twenty gritstone - 
beds, some of them of great thickness, 
and numerous strata of slate-clay, as 
shale, bind, and clunch : some of the 
shale-beds contain rounded or ovate 
masses, and even thin strata of argil- 
laceous ironstone, with impressions of 
mussel shells, and coaly impressions 
of vegetables. A hard argillaceous 
rock called crowstone forms in some 
places the floor of the coal-beds. The 
number or order of the coal-seams is 
probably about thirty, varying in thick- 
ness from six inches to eleven feet ; 
their aggregate thickness is about 
eighty feet : these dimensions can only 
be considered as approximate. Every 
variety of coal seems to be found in 
this field, hard stone coal, cannel, pea- 
cock, and caking coal. The coal-pits 
in Derbyshire are dispersed over the 
coal-field, and are very numerous, es- 
pecially about Chesterfield and Alfre- 
ton, and in the district south and west 
of the Cromford and Ere wash canals. 
There are coal-pits also in the small 
detached coal-fields on the Leicester- 
shire border, noticed in speaking of 
the red marl, and coal is obtained be- 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 



tween Ashbourn and Derby appa- 
rently by working through the red 
marl to the coal-measures which lie 
underneath them. The beds which lie 
between the seams of coal are worked 
for various purposes. The workings 
of the ironstone are generally begun 
at the surface, and pursued until they 
become dangerous from the loose na- 
ture of the stratum in which they lie : 
that ironstone which is marked with 
impressions of mussel-shells (called the 
mussel band) is worked as an orna- 
mental marble. From the gritstone- 
beds are quarried grindstones for cut- 
lers : the binds, where they are hard 
and black, are used as black chalk ; 
others, when decomposed, make good 
brick earth : the clunch is sometimes 
of that kind which is used for fire- 
bricks : where it crops out to the sur- 
face it becomes soft clay. Potters' clay, 
of various colours and qualities, occur 
in this coal-field. 

Millstone-grit and shale form a series 
of strata, having an aggregate thick- 
ness of about 870 feet ; the millstone- 
grit, 360 feet thick, forming the upper 
part, and the shale and its associated 
rocks, 510 feet, the lower part of the 
formation. The millstone- grit ranges 
on three sides (viz., the east, north, 
and west) of the carboniferous lime- 
stone, which we shall have presently 
to notice as occupying the central part 
of the county north of Ashbourn and 
Duffield : it occupies a tract between 
Duffield, Belper, and Wirksworth, on 
the west side of the Derwent, and forms 
the heights that bound the valley of 



that river on the east side up to its 
source. It occupies also the northern 
and western borders of the High Peak, 
and extends southward to Buxton, near 
which it passes into Staffordshire. The 
hills formed by it usually present a 
bold escarpment, crowned by rude 
piles of crags, exhibiting some of the 
wildest rock scenery of the district. 
The shale occupies a lower district 
between this and the carboniferous 
limestone, but in this lower tract are 
occasional insulated mountains, crown- 
ed with a cap of millstone-grit. Kin- 
derscout is one of these. The shale 
contains some alternating beds of fine- 
grained siliceous grit and nodules of 
ironstone ; and it has some subjacent 
and apparently local beds of shale lime- 
stone, which afford a beautiful black 
marble. 

Carboniferous or mountain lime- 
stone occupies the tract bounded on 
the south by the red marl, and on all 
other sides by the millstone-grit and 
shale just described. This limestone 
district is entirely comprehended in 
Derbyshire, except on the north-east, 
where it just passes over the York- 
shire boundary, and the south-west, 
where it enters Staffordshire. There 
are one or two places in the southern 
part of the county where the lime- 
stone crops out. On the eastern side 
of the county the strata dip under the 
shale ; but on the western side, by a 
great fault, the lowest bed of the lime- 
stone is elevated and brought into con- 
tact on the same level with the shale. 
The limestone is divided into four beds 



10 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



by three intervening "beds of toadstone. 
The respective thickness of these lime- 
stone-beds (reckoning from the upper- 
most) is as follows : — first bed, 150 feet ; 
second bed, 150 feet ; third bed, 210 
feet; fourth bed, at least 250 feet; 
aggregate at least 760, but in fact 
the ^thickness of the lower bed is not 
ascertained : it is only known that 
it extends 250 feet. In each bed of 
this limestone thin beds of clay are 
found, with embedded masses of toad- 
stone, and various organic remains. 
The lowest bed, which is the most es- 
teemed by the lime-burners, has very 
few dark-coloured strata ; but in the 
three upper beds these are more com- 
mon, and the second bed contains some 
very fine black strata, which are quar- 
ried as black marble. The upper bed 
is also quarried as marble, and con- 
tains white chert or china-stone, which 
is extensively used in the Staffordshire 
potteries. The beautiful fluor spar 
called * Blue John,' from which vases 
and other ornaments are made, is found 
in a mountain of limestone. 

The outcrop of the carboniferous 
limestone forms the lead district of 
Derbyshire. Numerous veins have 
been worked in it, chiefly for lead • 
but ores of zinc, iron, manganese, 
and copper also occur. Lead ore is 
found occasionally in the toadstone 
which intervenes between the lime- 
stone-beds, but commonly the veins 
are cut off by the toadstone-beds. The 
veins which contain lead have gene- 
rally a direction east and west ; some 
of them approach the perpendicular 



(rake veins) ; others are nearly hori- 
zontal (pipe veins), and are rather 
beds of spar and ore, lying between 
the strata of limestone, and in most 
cases connected with the surface by a 
rake vein. 

The limestone strata of Derbyshire 
are subject to very remarkable de- 
rangements or faults. They are cha- 
racterized also by numerous caverns, 
and by the frequent engulfment of the 
streams by subterraneous courses term- 
ed 5 swallow holes.' The caverns ap- 
pear to have been excavated wholly or 
chiefly by the agency of water. 

The three toadstone-beds have an 
average thickness of 60 feet for the 
upper, and 75 feet for each of the lower, 
giving an aggregate of 210 feet ; in 
parts, however, the thickness of the 
three amounts to above 250 feet. There 
are several varieties of the toadstone, 
which sometimes passes into ^ordinary 
basalt : among the substances inclosed 
are the quartz crystals locally termed 
Derbyshire diamonds. 

Of the limestone caverns, the most 
remarkable is that now generally 
known as Peak's Hole, or the Devil's 
Cave, near Castleton. The mineral 
springs of Derbyshire are numerous 
and important. The most celebrated 
warm springs are those at Buxton and 
Matlock. There are warm springs at 
Stony Middleton, where it is supposed 
that the Romans established a bath. 
The temperature of the Middleton 
waters is 2° higher than that of the 
warmest springs at Matlock. The 
most celebrated of the sulphureous 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 



11 



waters is at Kedleston Park, three 
miles north-west of Derby. They are 
valued for their antiscorbutic qualities. 
There are several chalybeate springs. 



An account of the ebbing and flowing 
well on" the road from Buxton to 
Castle ton is given in Chapter IX. 



AGRICULTURE AND RURAL ECONOMY. 



On the eastern side of the county, 
running from south to north, the yel- 
low magnesian limestone prevails, and 
the soil is dry and favourable for cattle, 
sheep, and turnips : the towns of Mans- 
field and Worksop are situated on this 
formation, which is however chiefly 
confined within the Nottinghamshire 
border. Parallel to it is the Derbyshire 
coal-field, the upper surface of which 
is generally a cold clay devoted to pas- 
ture, and in favourable situations to 
corn : the towns of Alfreton and Ches- 
terfield are situated in this part of 
the county. The coal formation is 
bounded on the west by a narrow belt 
constituting the woodland district of 
the county and favourable to the growth 
of timber, and adjoining it we find the 
millstone -grit and shale consisting of 
uninclosed moorland, on which only a 
few sheep are depastured. This wild 
and barren district is bordered by the 
mountain limestone, which affords 
tolerable pasturage ; and on the west- 
ern borders of the county there is the 
grit-stone of the Staffordshire moor- 
lands. These districts are parallel to 
each other, and run north of a line 
drawn from Nottingham to near Ash- 
bourn. South of this line the soil is 



marl and gravel, the meadows are rich, 
and here are the best dairy farms and 
arable lands in the county. 

On the high hills and moors of Derby- 
shire the cultivation is not extended as 
it might be ; and there are great tracts 
of rough pasture of little value in 
their present state, which, with a mode- 
rate outlay, might be improved or 
converted into arable land, as has been 
done in similar situations in Scotland. 
In the valleys, or on the less abrupt 
hills, a very fertile red marly loam is 
frequently met with, which is produc- 
tive of every kind of grain without any 
extraordinary tillage. Of this kind 
are the lands about Barton, Blount, 
and Ash, and in several places in the 
southern and eastern part of the county. 

The soil on the surface naturally 
partakes of the nature of the rocks 
which are found immediately below 
it ; and where any particular stratum 
rises to the surface, or crops out, as it 
is called, the soil is chiefly made up of 
the same earthy substances, which 
have been more or less decomposed 
by f the action of the air and mixed 
with vegetable matter. An account 
of the different soils is given in the 
Agricultural Report of the county, by 



12 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



71 



51,500 
40.500 



Farcy, of which the following table 
forms an epitome, distinguishing the 
strata from which they are formed, 
and the number of acres in extent. 

Gravelly soils • • • 77,000 acres. 

Red marl soil . . • . 81,000 

Yellow limestone soil • . 21.5S0 

Coal-measure, upper part . 30*000 

„ lower part . 60,000 

Gritstone and shale soils . . 160,500 
Mineral limestone and toad- 
stone soils • • 
Fouith limestone soil 

Total surface. . . 522,080 acres. 

Most of these soils may be ranked 
among the clays and loams of various 
degrees of fertility, there being but a 
very small proportion of sandy soils in 
Derbyshire. Where these occur, they 
are mostly alluvial, apparently washed 
out of the loam and brought together 
by currents, or the decomposition of 
the grit and micaceous sandstone in 
the grit or limestone shale. 

The climate of Derbyshire varies 
according to the situation and height of 
the land above the level of the sea. The 
quantity of rain that falls in the moun- 
tainous parts is much greater than that 
in the low country : at Chatsworth, for 
instance, the annual fall of rain is 
about28*411, and at Derby 24*77 inches. 
In the valleys it differs little from the 
surrounding counties. The time of 
harvest is rather late in exposed situa- 
tions, and is frequently much pro- 
tracted by abundant rains in the month 
of October ; it is therefore of great 
importance to sow as early as the sea- 



son will permit, so as to have the corn 
ripe in time to gather it in before the 
autumnal rains. 

The manner in which the soil is cul- 
tivated varies as much as its nature. 
Rich proprietors who have experienced 
bailiffs adopt all the new improve- 
ments, and their farms are well ma- 
naged. The land is in general ex- 
tremely wet, and, except in the south- 
ern parts of the county, very little pains 
is taken to remedy this inconvenience. 
Neither the drill nor the threshing- 
machine are much used : there is, 
we believe, only one steam threshing 
machine in the county. There are 
also a few farmers who have some ca- 
pital and manage their land well ; 
but the majority are small farmers, 
who follow the routine of their fore- 
fathers, and have not the means, if 
they had the inclination, to make per- 
manent improvements. A great many 
arms might be doubled in value by- 
judicious draining, and lands made to 
produce turnips which now are thought 
too heavy and wet for this useful root. 
The pastures also might, in many 
places, be greatly improved by under- 
draining, and rendered much better 
adapted to feed sheep. A common 
obstacle to improvement is the want 
of leases ; for although tenants are sel- 
dom removed if they pay their rents, 
and it is not unusual for a tenant from 
year to year, when he dies, to give pos- 
session of the farm to his widow or 
one of his children by a testamentary 
bequest, which is generally respected 
by the landlord, the rent may be raised, 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 



13 



if the estate comes into other hands, 
and the money laid out on improve- 
ments by the tenant may be the cause 
of this rise. Tenants from year to year 
are therefore satisfied with a bare live- 
lihood, and have no motive to improve 
their farms. Many farms are so small 
that they are scarcely superior to cot- 
tage tenures, and the occupiers have 
other means of gaining a livelihood 
besides their land. In the neighbour- 
hood of Derby and other manufac- 
turing towns, as also near the most 
productive mines, some small portions 
of land are neatly cultivated, in a great 
measure by the spade, and are conse- 
quently very productive. They are 
let at higher rents than the quality of 
the soil would otherwise warrant. In 
the hundreds of High Peak and Scars- 
dale, and the wapentake of Wirksworth, 
there are to be found the greatest pro- 
portion of small landowners and occu- 
piers : in the High Peak hundred there 
are 625 occupiers employing labour- 
ers, while the number of occupiers 
who do not hire labour is 1364. 

The course of cultivation on the best 
loams is generally that which begins 
with a summer fallow manured with 
lime for wheat, and succeeded by 
spring corn with or without clover or 
ass seeds. Some farmers have 
adopted the improved convertible sys- 
tem, and find the superiority of it in 
point of profit, uniting the advantages 
of a dairy with those of an arable farm. 
Spring wheat has been introduced in- 
stead of barley on the best soils, and 
the land is laid down with # grass seeds 



in the first crop after the fallow, or the 
turnips, where these are introduced. 

The wheat produced on the red land 
is good and heavy. On the poorer 
soils oats and barley are more certain 
and profitable crops. When the wheat 
has failed during the winter, and looks 
poor and thin in spring, it used to 
be a common practice to sow barley 
amongst it : the mixed produce was 
called blend, and ground to a coarse 
meal, of which bread was made for the 
labourers. Sprkig wheat has been 
found a better substitute, and blend is 
now seldom met with. The use of 
haver cake made of oatmeal is becom- 
ing much less common, and wheaten 
bread will soon be the staple article of 
diet. 

Potatoes are raised in considerable 
quantities, both in garden plots and in 
the fields, where they are planted in 
rows and moulded up with the plough. 
The produce on good loams well ma- 
nured, especially on land ploughed up 
from grass, is very great. Six hun- 
dred bushels per acre is not thought a 
very extraordinary crop in very supe- 
rior soils. They are given to cattle, 
as well as used for human food. 

A large proportion of the lands is 
in permanent pastures, of which some 
are very rich. To the north of the 
inclosed land, a traveller may proceed 
for miles without seeing an acre of 
arable land, there being nothing but a 
continuation of pasture both upon the 
hills and in the valleys. In this dis- 
trict scarcely any of the farms have 
more than three or four acres of arable 



i 



14 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



land attached to them, and many 
have none whatever. Derbyshire 
cheese is noted as of a good quality, 
and the best is often sold for Cheshire 
or Gloucester when made of the shape 
and colour of these cheeses. The com- 
mon Derbyshire cheese is not generally 
coloured. It resembles some'kinds of 
Dutch cheeses, and keeps well. 

There are some very highly produc- 
tive meadows along the course of the 
rivers in this county, but an improved 
system of embankment and irrigation 
is still wanting in many favourable 
situations. The meadows along the 
Dove and other rivers are from their 
situation very subject to sudden floods, 
which endanger the safety of the cattle 
grazing in them. To obviate this, 
mounds of earth have been raised in 
many places, to which the cattle may 
fly for refuge ; but a judicious embank- 
ment would be much more useful, by 
keeping the waters in proper channels, 
and would allow the admission of the 
water by flood-gates, when it is advan- 
tageous to the land. 

When the upland pastures are mown 
for hay, they are also called meadows. 
Some of these are very rich, and will 
fatten the heaviest oxen ; but the gene- 
rality of the hilly pastures are below 
the medium quality of pastures in 
England. They might be much im- 
proved by draining and weeding, 
which are seldom attended to. 

There are many woods and coppices 
scattered through the county. There 
being no great demand for fire-wood 
in a country abounding with coal, the 



coppices are allowed to grow for twenty 
or twenty-five years before they are 
cut, in order that the poles may acquire 
a considerable size, and be proper for 
supporting the roofs and sides of exca- 
vations in mines and coal-pits, or fit 
to make ladders of. A good coppice 
of twenty-five years' growth may be 
worth from 251. to 50£. per acre to cut 
for the above purposes, leaving a suf- 
ficient number of trees and poles at 
each cutting to keep up the timber 
growing, which, when felled, will be 
worth as much as the underwood. 
Many young plantations have been 
made of late years, and are in a thriv- 
ing state. 

The horned cattle of Derbyshire 
have no peculiar character. The va- 
rious improved breeds are met with 
in the richer pastures, and hardier ani- 
mals on the mountains. A cross be- 
tween the long-horned or Staffordshire 
breed and the short-horned or Durham 
breed is increasing. The same may 
be said of the sheep. The sheep on 
the hills are similar to those found on 
the Cheviot Hills ; in the valleys the 
Leicester and South Down breeds, and 
various crosses, are generally preferred 
by the best farmers : but the quantity 
fatted is not so great as would be the 
case were the land better adapted for 
turnips. 

The Derbyshire breed of horses is 
good, and many are bred in this county 
which are fitted for the carriage and 
the saddle, as well as for the farm, and 
form an important article in the profits 
of some of the larger farms. 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 



15 



HISTORY AND ANTIQUITIES. 



Before the Roman conquest, Derby- 
shire appears to have been included in 
the territory of the Coritani, who, with 
the Cornavii, occupied the whole of 
the midland district from the Lincoln- 
shire coast to the upper part of the 
Severn and the Dee. Upon the con- 
quest of South Britain by the Romans, 
and its division into provinces, Derby- 
shire was included in the province of 
Flavia Csesariensis, not (as Pilking- 
ton, and after him, Messrs. Lysons 
state) of Britannia Prima. 

The barren moors of this county 
abound in masses of gritstone, and sin- 
gle stones of vast size appearing above 
the surface : many tors (as Mock Beg- 
gar Hall, on Stanton Moor, between 
Winster and Bake well ; Robin Hood's 
Mark, on Ashover Common, &c.) and 
rocking stones have been found, and 
many rock basins ; but all these, to 
which it was once common to ascribe 
a druidical origin, seem referable, 
like the granite tors of Cornwall and 
Devonshire, rather to natural causes. 
There are however circles of stones, 
some upright stones, and tumuli or bar- 
rows of earth and stones (called in 
Derbyshire 'lows'), and some rude mili- 
tary works which appear to be memo- 
rials of the early inhabitants. The most 
remarkable of these monuments is the 
stone circle of Arbelows, or Arbor-low, 
two or three miles north-west of the 
town of Winster. 

The ancient British road, the Ryk- 



neld Street, and the Roman road, 
which usually coincided with it, cross 
this county in its whole extent from 
south-west to north-east, from the 
borders of Staffordshire to those of 
Yorkshire. The Rykneld Street enters 
Derbyshire where Monk's-bridge, over 
the Dove, now stands, and runs north- 
east in the direction of Little Chester, 
supposed to be the Roman station Der- 
ventio ; the Rykneld Street is supposed 
to have passed the Derwent by a ford, 
perhaps at the town of Derby, the 
Roman road by a bridge a little higher 
up the river. The two roads meet 
again near Derventio, and they may 
be traced in a direction nearly N.N. E 
towards Chesterfield. 

Chesterfield has been supposed to be 
a Roman station, the Lutudarum of 
Ravennas ; and the first part of the 
name of the town (Chester — which, 
with its kindred forms, cester and 
caster, usually indicates the site of a 
Roman station) and the discovery of 
Roman coins there give probability to 
the supposition. The name of Lutu- 
darum in an abridged form (lvt and 
lvtvd) is stamped on three Roman 
pigs of lead (now in the British Mu- 
seum) which have been found at differ- 
ent times near Matlock. {Library 
of Entertaining Knowledge ; Townley 
Gallery, vol. ii. p. 288.) 

A second Roman road has been 
traced from Brough in Hope Dale to 
Buxton, both of which are ascertained 



16 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



to have been Roman stations. At 
Brough three sides of the station, which 
was an oblong 310 feet by 270, are still 
perfect ; and the foundations of a 
temple ! and another large building, 
with other antiquities, have been dis- 
covered. At Buxton several Roman 
baths have been discovered, and three 
of their roads at least, the one mention- 
ed above, one from Derventio, and a 
third from Mancunium (Manchester), 
meet here, — a sufficient indication of 
the site of a station. It is conjectured 
that it was the Aquae mentioned by 
Ravennas. Another Roman road, 
locally designated Long Lane, runs 
through the county from the river Dove 
at or near Rocester, which from its 
name was probably a station, to Der- 
ventio, and appears to have continued 
in the same line from thence into Not- 
tinghamshire. Another Roman road, 
locally designated the Doctor's Gate, 
runs from the station of Melandra 
Castle, in Glossop parish, on the bor- 
der of Cheshire, to Brough. There are 
some traces of other roads. 

Derventio, now Little Chester, near 
Derby, appears to have been the most 
considerable Roman station in the 
county. The stations at Buxton, 
Brough in Hope Dale, and Melandra 
Castle in Glossop, have been men- 
tioned. The last is on a moderate 
elevation at the meeting of two moun- 
tain streams. It has been conjectured, 
but on uncertain grounds, that there 
were Roman stations at Parwick, 
between Buxton and Ashbourn, and 
at Pentrich, on the Rykneld Street, be- 



tween Derventio and the modern 
Chesterfield : there are camps of the 
Roman form at both these places. 
The two camps, one on Mam Tor above 
Castleton, and the other at Combe 
Moss, four miles from Buxton, may 
perhaps have been Roman summer 
camps. 

Of Roman antiquities the most 
remarkable are an altar preserved at 
Haddon Hall, a silver plate found in 
Risley Park, and the pigs of lead found 
near Matlock. These last are sufficient 
proofs of the Romans having wrought 
the lead-mines of Derbyshire ; and the 
number of their roads and stations indi- 
cates the importance they attached to 
the district. It is considered by some 
(Glover, Hist, of Derbyshire) that the 
working of the mines was anterior to 
the Roman conquest. 

In the Saxon division of England, 
Derbyshire was comprehended in the 
kingdom of Mercia ; and Repanclun, 
or Rep ton, on the south bank of the 
Trent, was one of the royal residences. 
In the great invasion of England by 
the Danes in the time of Ethelred I. 
and Alfred, Derbyshire was overrun by 
them, and in the wars which Alfred 
and his successors maintained against 
them this county was frequently the 
scene of contest. The town of Derby 
was repeatedly taken and retaken. 
At the Norman conquest considerable 
grants of land within the county were 
made to Henry de Ferrers, whose son 
Robert was the first earl Ferrers. 
Another Robert, son of the first earl 
Ferrers, was created earl of Derby 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 



17 



in 1138. William Peverel, a natural 
son of the Conqueror, received also 
considerable grants. He built the 
castle of the Peak ; and he, or his son, 
is supposed to have built the original 
Bolsover Castle. The Peak castle is 
now an 'ill-shapen ruin,' situated on 
the verge of the rocky precipice that 
forms the roof of the Peak cavern at 
Castleton. It was small, but, from its 
situation, very strong. In the civil war 
in the reign of Henry II., Robert, earl 
Ferrers and Derby, who had supported 
prince Henry in his rebellion against 
his father, surrendered his castles of 
Duffield in Derbyshire and Tutbury in 
Staffordshire to the king. He was 
afterwards deprived of the earldom of 
Derby by Richard I., who bestowed it 
on his own brother John. In the civil 
war in the time of John, William earl 
Ferrers, who had obtained a new grant 
of the earldom of Derby, and who was 
one of the king's party, took the castles 
of the Peak and Bolsover, which had 
by this time passed out of the hands of 
the Peverel family, and were held by 
some of the party of the insurgent ba- 
rons. In the reign of Henry III. the 
earl of Ferrers and Derby was one 
of the most active of the insurgent 
barons ; but having been worsted 
and taken prisoner by Henry, the 
king's nephew, at the battle of Ches- 
terfield, he was deprived of the earl- 
- dom of Derby, with the vast pos- 
i sessions attached to it. These were 
afterwards given to Edmund, earl of 
Lancaster, son of Henry III., and thus 
i eventually formed part of the domains 



of the duchy of Lancaster. No public 
events of interest are connected with 
Derbyshire until after the Reformation. 
The earldom of Derby, in connection 
with that of Lancaster, descended from 
prince Edmund to his son Thomas, who 
headed an insurrection of the barons 
against Piers Gavestone and Hugh de 
Spencer, the successive minions of 
Edward II. : the failure of this last 
enterprise led to the death of the earl, 
who was defeated and taken at 
Boroughbridge, and beheaded in Pon- 
tefract Castle in 1322. He was suc- 
ceeded in his titles and possessions by 
his brother Henry, who supported 
queen Isabella and the earl of March 
(Roger Mortimer) in their successful 
attempt to dethrone Edward II. The 
earl was appointed head of the council 
of twelve bishops and peers, to whom 
the government was ostensibly intrust- 
ed. He died in 1344, and was suc- 
ceeded in the earldoms of Lancaster 
and Derby by his son Henry, who had, 
with the title though not the possessions 
of earl of Derby, commanded the 
English forces in Guienne with signal 
success. This Henry died without 
male issue ; his daughter Blanch mar- 
ried John of Gaunt, or Ghent, son of 
Edward III., who thus became earl of 
Lancaster and Derby, and transmitted 
these titles to his son, afterwards 
Henry IV. The earldom of Derby 
was conferred by Henry VII. upon his 
supporter, lord Stanley, in whose fa- 
mily it has ever since continued. In 
1569 the shrievalty of the county was 
disjoined from that of Nottingham- 

c 



18 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



shire. Mary, Queen of Scots, was 
successively confined at Winfield, 
Chatsworth, Buxton, and Hardwick 
in this county, from 1568 to 1584. The 
principal historical events connected 
with Derbyshire, since the Reforma- 
tion, occurred during the civil war of 
Charles I. The county at first declared 
for the king, who, after setting up his 
standard at Nottingham, marched 
to Derby; but it was soon brought 
over to the side of the parliament by 
the activity and influence of Sir John 
Gell, who, marching from Hull into 
Derbyshire (October, 1642) with a 
regiment of foot, only 140 men, raised 
200 men at Chesterfield, and, proceed- 
ing to Derby, garrisoned that town. 
South Winfield manor-house was also 
garrisoned for the parliament. In 
November, 1642, Sir John drove Sir 
Prancis Wortley and the king's forces 
irom Wirksworth and the Peak, took 
Bretby House, south of the Trent, 
which had been fortified by the earl of 
Chesterfield, and defeated the royalists 
at Swarkestone bridge on the Trent. 
Next year (a.d. 1643) he took Bolso- 
ver Castle, which the earl of Newcastle 
had fortified for the king ; and his 
brother, Colonel Gell, took Sutton 
House, near Chesterfield, which had 
been also garrisoned for the king by 
lord Deincourt. The earl of Newcastle 
is said, however, to have gained a vic- 
tory over the parliamentarians near 
Chesterfield ; he afterwards took South 
Winfield manor-house : and the roy- 
alists possessed themselves of the 
northern parts of the county. In 



March, 1644, there was an engagement 
on Egginton Heath, near the junction 
of the Dove with the Trent, in which 
the victory was doubtful. In the sum- 
mer of the same year, Sir John Gell 
took South Winfield manor-house, and 
defeated the forces sent to relieve it ; 
and General Crawford, another parlia- 
mentary commander, took Bolsover 
Castle and Stavely House. The king, 
after the battle of Naseby (a.d. 1645), 
retreated through Derbyshire into 
Yorkshire, gaining some advantages 
over Sir John Gell by the way. The 
subsequent events of the war were 
unimportant. 

In 1688 the Duke of Devonshire, the 
Earl of Danby (afterwards Duke of 
Leeds), and others, met at Whittington, 
near Chesterfield, to concert measures 
for bringing William Prince of 
Orange into the kingdom and placing 
him on the throne. In 1745 the young 
Pretender advanced to Derby with 
an army of 7000 men, who after a 
halt of two days commenced their 
retreat northward. In 1817 an insur- 
rection was attempted near South 
Winfield by a small party, who set out 
for Nottingham in" the hope ~of being 
joined by the disaffected on their route ; 
but near Nottingham they were dis- 
persed by the military, and three of 
the ringleaders, Jeremiah Brandreth, 
Isaac Ludlam, and William Turner, 
were executed at Derby. Some unfor- 
tunate riots occurred at Derby on the 
rejection of the Reform Bill in 1831. 

Derbyshire contains various relics of 
the middle ages, baronial, ecclesiasti- 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 



19 



cal, and monastic/which will be noticed 
more at length in the succeeding 
chapters. Besides the Peak Castle, 
there are some remains of Codnor 
Castle, near Heanor, the ancient resi- 
dence of the Greys of Codnor : these 
remains are partly converted into a 
farm-house. Haddon Hall, a seat of 
the duke of Rutland, is on the north- 
east or left hank of the Wye, below 
Bakewell, and is an interesting ex- 
ample of the style of domestic archi- 
tecture prevailing in the reign of 
Henry VIII. Hardwick Hall, between 
Chesterfield and Mansfield, belongs 
to the duke of Devonshire, and is 
an equally interesting specimen of 

1 Elizabethan architecture. A still older 
hall, now in ruins, is situated near the 

| present mansion-house. South Winfleld 
manor-house, now in ruins, was built 

: in the reign of Henry VI. (1422-1461). 

; The churches of Derbyshire, which 



are most remarkable for their ancient 
remains, are Repton, Melbourne, Ash- 
bourn, Bakewell, Chesterfield, and 
Dronfield. 

The monastic establishments of 
Derbyshire were neither large nor 
wealthy, and there are few remains of 
them. There was a priory at Repton, 
where some of the kings of Mercia 
were buried, but it was destroyed by 
the Danes, and a monastery of Black 
(or Augustinian) canons rose in its 
place. At Yeaveley, near Ashbourn, 
there was a preceptory of the order of 
St. John of Jerusalem ; Dale Abbey, 
near Derby, was for Premonstratensian 
(or White) canons ; as was also Beau- 
chief Abbey, situated in that part of 
the county next to Sheffield. These, 
with other establishments of which 
little or no trace remains, willbe noticed 
in the course of our itinerary of the 
county. 



POLITICAL TOPOGRAPHY. 



1 POPULATION AND OCCUPATIONS. 

Derbyshire is both an agricultural 
and manufacturing county ; it ranked 

" the twenty-ninth on the list of agricul - 
tural counties in 1811, but in 1831 it 
was the thirty-second, its manufactu- 
ring class having increased in a greater 
proportion than the agricultural class. 
Of 58,178 males 20 years of age and 

I upwards, inhabitants of Derbyshire in 
1831, 18,170 were engaged in agri- 
cultural pursuits, 10,593 of whom 



were labourers; and 8863 were em- 
ployed in manufactures, or in making 
manufacturing machinery ; there were 
likewise 10,897 labourers not employed 
as agriculturists. Of those employed 
in manufactures, about 1700 were 
engaged in the cotton-yarn and in the 
silk manufactures ; 1400 in frame- 
work and twist; 1200 in cotton and 
silk hosiery ; calico and ginghams, 
600 ; lace and twist net, 450 ; tape,' 60 ; 
paper, 40 ; and about 1400 not accu- 
rately classed, engager! in some of the 
c 2 



20 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



above manufactures and in the pre- 
paration of dye colours, &c. ; of these 
900 were employed in the town of 
Derby. 

The population of Derbyshire at 
each of the four periods of — 



Males. 

1801 was 79,401 
1811 „ 91,494 
1821 " 105,873 
1831 „ 117,740 



Females. 

81,741 

93,993 

107,460 

119,430 



Total. Inc. perct. 
161,142 

185,487 15.10 
213,333 15.01 
237,170 11.22 



Showing an increase between the first 
and last periods of 76,028, or not 
quite 47J per cent., which is about 10 
per cent, below the general rate of 
increase throughout England. 

The following summary of the popu- 
lation, taken at the enumeration of 
1831, exhibits the number of inhabi- 
tants, &c, in the county : — 

Houses. 

Inhabited 46,098 

Families 48,320 

Building 357 

Uninhabited 1,989 

Occupations. 
Families chiefly employed in agri- 
culture 13,324 

s ? v trade, 

manufactures, and handicraft . 20,784 
All other families not comprised 

in the two preceding classes . 14,208 

Persons. 

Males 117.740 

Females 119,430 

Total of persons 237,170 

Males 20 years of age . . . 58 ; 178 

Agriculture. 
Occupiers employing labourers . 3,320 
,, not employing labourers 4,257 
Labourers employed in agricul- 
ture • . 10.593 



Other Occupations. 
Employed in manufacture, or in 
making manufacturing ma- 
chinery 8,863 

Employed in retail trade, or in 
handicraft as masters or work « 

men 14,787 

Capitalists, bankers, professional 

and other educated men . 1 , 829 

Labourers employed in labour njt 

agricultural 10, 897 

Other males 20 years of age 

(except servants) .... 2,86*3 
Male servants, 20 years of age . 761? 

„ under 20 years of 

age . 349- 

Female servants 7 , 23 1 

LEGAL AND ECCLESIASTICAL 
DIVISIONS. 

The divisions of Derbyshire for civil 
purposes were anciently called wapen- 
takes ; and of these divisions the 
1 Domesday Survey' mentions five : 
Scarvedale (Scarsdale), Hamestan 
(supposed to be what is now called the 
High Peak Hundred), Morlestan(Mor- 
leston), Walecross (supposed to be 
what is now the hundred of Repton 
and Gresley), and Apultre (Apple- 
tree) ; beside a district called Peche 
Fers (Peak Forest). A document of 
a somewhat later date (the ' Hundred 
Roll, 5 a.d. 1273) speaks of the wapen- 
takes of Peck (Peak), Scarvedale, 
Apeltre, Repindon (Repington or 
Repton), Greselegh (Gresley), Little- 
chirch (Litchurch), and Wyrkesworth 
(Wirks worth). Other records speak of 
the hundreds of Risley (Gresley ?) and 
Sawley. The present division is as 
follows. The Wirksworth division is 
still called wapentake : the others are 
called hundreds. 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 



21 



I. High Peak (203,190 acres), North 
and North- West, and Central. Popu- 
lation in 1831, 47,485, or 149 per 
square mile. 

II. Wirks worth (73,880 acres), West 
and Central. Population 23,287, or 
202 per square mile. 

III. Scarsdale (144,750 acres), East 
and Central. Population 53,582, or 
237 per square mile. 

IV. Morleston and Litchurch (77,440 
ttcres), South East. Population 61,779, 
<or 323 per square mile. 

Y. Appletree (108,170 acres), South- 
West and C entral. Population 32,483, 
or 192 per square mile. 

VI. Repington or Repton and 
Gresley (55,750 acres), South. Popu- 
lation 18,554, or 216 per square mile. 

The population per square mile 
averages 230 for the county,* which is 
ah out 29 below the average for the 
whole of England. 

There is in Derbyshire only one 
parliamentary borough, Derby ; the 
other market- towns are 16. There are 
several places which formerly had 
markets, viz., Dronfield, Ashover, 
Heanor, and Ilkestone ; those at Bol- 
sover, Higham-in-Shirland, Hope, 
Matlock, Measham, and Sawley have 
been discontinued within memory. 

FAIRS AND MARKETS. 

There are numerous fairs in the 
county, as well as weekly markets : 
the principal fairs are the follow- 
ing :— 

Alfreton, July 31; November 22 (for 
Worses and horned cattle). 






* See page 1. 



Ashbourn, first Tuesday m January ; 
February 13 (for horses and cattle) ; April 3 ; 
May 21 ; July 5 (do. and wool) ; August 16 
(horses and cattle); October 10 (do.); St. 
Andrew's Eve, or Saturday before (a consi- 
derable horse fair). 

♦Ashover, April 25 and October 15 (cattle 
and sheep). 

Bakewell, Easter Monday ; Whit Monday ; 
August 26; Monday after October 10; and 
Monday after November 22. 

Bel per, May 12; October 31 (cattle and 
sheep). Bolsover, Easter Monday. 

Chapel-en-le-Frith, Thursdav before Fe- 
bruary 13; March 24 and 29; Thursday 
before Easter; April 30; Holy Thursday and 
three weeks after (cattle) ; July 7 (wool) ; 
Thursday before August 24 (sheep and 
cheese) ; Thursday after September 29 ; 
Thursday before November 11 (cattle). 

Chesterfield, January 25 or Saturday before 
(cattle) ; February 28 or Saturday before ; 
first Saturday in April ; May 4 ; July 5 
(horses and cattle) ; September 25 (cheese, 
onions, &c.) ; last Saturday in November 
(cattle, sheep). 

Crich, Old Lady Day ; Old Michaelmas 
Day. 

*Cubley, November 30 (fat hogs). 
*Darley Flash, May 13; October 27 
(cattle and sheep). 

Derby, January 25 ; March 21 and 22 
(cheese) ; Friday in Easter week (cattle) ; 
Friday after May-dav ; Friday in Whitsun 
week; July 25 (cattle); September 27, 28, 
29 (cheese) ; Friday before Old Michaelmas 
(cattle); October 18 (cheese). 

Dronfield, April 25 (cattle and cheese) ; 
August 1 1 . 

*Duffield, March 1 (cattle). 
Higham, first Wednesday in the year. 
*Hope, May 12 and September 29 (cattle). 
*Matlock, February 25; May 9; July 
16 ; October 24 (cattle and sheep). 

*Newhaven, September 1 1 ; October 30 
(horses, cattle, and sheep, and a great holiday 
fair). 

*Pleasley, May 6; October 29 (horses, 
cattle, and sheep). 

*Ripley, Wednesday in Easter week ; Oc- 
tober 23 (horses and cattle). 



22 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



♦Sawley, November 12 or Saturday before 
(foals). 

Tideswell, May 3 (cattle) ; second Wednes- 
day in September ; October 29 (cattle and 
sheep). 

Winster, Easter Monday. 

Wirks worth. Shrove Tuesday; May 12; 
September 8 ; October 4 and 5 (cattle). 

Statutes for hiring servants are held at Bol- 
sover, November 1 ; Dronfield, November 3 ; 
Eckington, November 5 ; Alfreton, Novem- 
ber 24 ; and Chesterfield, November 25.* 

There are 4 members of parliament 
returned for the county (2 for the 
northern and 2 for the southern divi- 
sion), and 2 for the borough of Derby. 
The northern division of the county 
includes the hundreds of High Peak 
and Scarsdale, and part of the wapen- 
take of -Wirksworth: the principal 
place of election is Bake well, and the 
polling stations are Bakewell, Chester- 
field, and Chapel-en-le-Frith. The 
southern division includes the hundreds 
of Appletree, Morleston and Litchurch, 
and Repton and Gresley, and part of 
the wapentake of Wirksworth : the 
principal place of election is Derby, 
and the polling stations are Derby, 
Ashbourn, Wirksworth, Melbourne, 
and Belper. The number of county 
electors on the register for the year 
1839-40 was as follows :— 



Freeholders 
Copyholders 



N. Div. S. Div. 

. 3,868 4,708 

160 279 



Carried forward 4 , 028 4 , 987 



* Those places whicli are marked (*) have no 
weekly markets. Buxton and Cromford have a mar- 
ket, and no fairs. 



N. Div. S. Div. 
Brought forward 4,028 4,987 

Leaseholders for period of 

years or for lives . 318 35 

Occupying tenants at a 

rent of 50/. per annum . 1,213 1,525 

Trustees and Mortgagees • 41 13 

Holders of Ecclesiastical 
and Parochial appoint- 
ments, &c 19 12 

Joint qualifications, includ- 
ing all who are regis- 
tered for more than one 
qualification ... 103 85 



5,722 6,657 

The number of persons qualified to 
vote according to the above official 
statement was 12,379, being about 1 in 
19 of the whole population, and rather 
more than 1 in 5 of the male popula- 
tion 20 years of age and upwards, as 
taken in 1831. 

Derbyshire is in the Midland Cir- 
cuit: the assizes and the quarter-sessions 
are held at Derby, except the Easter 
sessions, which are held at Chester- 
field. Until the year 1569 this county 
and Nottinghamshire formed but one 
shrievalty, and until the reign of Henry 
III. the assizes for both counties were 
held at Nottingham : afterwards, until 
Derby was made a distinct shrievalty, 
they were held alternately at Notting- 
ham and Derby. 

Beside the ordinary county juris- 
diction, Derby has some legal pecu- 
liarities, the relics of the institutions 
of former times. The hundred of 
Appletree and the honour of Tutbury 
form parts of the duchy of Lancaster. 
The courts of pleas of the duchy, com- 
monly called the three weeks' courts, 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 



23 



are held at Sudbury for the hundred of 
Appletree, and at Tutbury (which is 
in Staffordshire) for the honour of Tut- 
bury. The jurisdiction of these courts 
extends to most places in the county : 
in them all debts and damages under 
40s. are recoverable. The Peveril 
court has likewise a very extensive 
jurisdiction ; actions are brought in it 
for the recovery of small debts, and the 
proceedings are more expeditious and 
less expensive than in the courts at 
Westminster. This court is held at 
Basford, near Nottingham. 

Derbyshire has some peculiar laws 
and regulations connected with the 
working of the lead -mines. These 
laws and regulations are of very high 
antiquity. The principal part of the 
county where lead ore is found in any 
considerable quantity is called ' The 
King's Field,' and comprehends nearly 
all the wapentake of Wirksworth and 
a considerable part of the High Peak 
hundred. * The King's Field' has been 
from time immemorial let on lease. 
The lessees (of whom, w r hen Pilkington 
wrote his account of Derbyshire, 
a.d. 1789, there were two) have each 
in his respective district a steward and 
barmasters. The steward presides as 
judge in the barmote courts, and, with 
24 jurymen, chosen every half-year, 
determines all disputes which arise 
respecting the working of the mines. 
Debts incurred in working the mines 
are cognizable in these courts. These 
courts meet twice a year, or oftener if 
need be. The court for the High Peak 
district meets at Monyash, that for 



the wapentake district at the town of 
Wirksworth. 

The office of the barmaster is prin- 
cipally to put miners into the posses- 
sion of veins that they have discovered, 
and to collect the proportion of ore 
to wiiich the lessee of the crown or 
the lord of the manor has a claim. 
When a miner has discovered a new 
vein of ore in * The King's Field,' he 
may acquire a title to the exclusive 
possession of it, provided it be not in 
a garden, orchard, or high road, by a 
proper application to the barmaster of 
the liberty. Should the miner neglect 
to work the vein, the barmaster may, 
after a certain time, dispose of it to 
any one who is willing to try it. 

Derbyshire is in the diocese of Lich- 
field and Coventry : it constitutes the 
archdeaconry of Derby, which is sub- 
divided into the six rural deaneries 
of Ashbourn, Castillar, Chesterfield, 
Derby, High Peak, and Repington or 
Repton. The deanery of High Peak 
has by some been called the arch- 
deaconry of Derby, as though this 
were an ecclesiastical subdivision of 
the county. The number of parishes 
was given by Camden from Wolsey's 
list at 106, but later authorities make 
them more numerous ; Pilkington 
states them at 116, their dependent 
chapelries at 69, and the extra-paro- 
chial chapels at 2 : Messrs. Lysons state 
the parishes at 117 ; with 67 chapels, 
in 52 of which (49 parochial, 3 extra- 
parochial) the rites of marriage and 
sepulture are performed : many of 
these are frequently described as parish 



24 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



churches. The Population Tables 
contain a list of 140 parishes (beside 4 
which are chiefly in other counties), 
3 extra-parochial chapelries, and 46 
dependent chapelries. The difference 
between these numbers and those given 
by Messrs. Lysons may be partly ac- 
counted for by supposing several of 
the dependent chapelries to be entered 
as distinct parishes. Of the 1 17 parishes 
given by Messrs. Lysons, 50 are rec- 
tories, 58 vicarages, and 9 donatives, or 
perpetual curacies. In the Reports of 
the Commissioners of Ecclesiastical 
Revenue, published in 1835, the num- 
ber of rectories is given at 49, vicar- 
ages 54, perpetual curacies 60, cu- 
racies 14, and donatives 7, making a 
total of 184 ; which is about the num- 
ber of episcopalian places of worship 
in the county. There are 9 Roman 
Catholic chapels, and 175 belonging to 
various denominations of Protestant 
Dissenters, and the number of places 
of worship licensed for the solemni- 
zation of marriages under 6 and 7 
Wm. IV., c. 85, is 20. Some of the 
Derbyshire parishes are very large, 
especially those in the High Peak 
hundred. Glossop parish contains 
49,960 acres, or more than 78 square 
miles ; Bakewell, 43,020, or above 67 
square miles ; Hope, 36,160, or above 
56 square miles ; and Hartington (in 
Wirksworth hundred), 24,160, or above 
37 square miles : 9 other parishes in 
the county have from 10,000 to 20,000 
acres, or from 15 to 30 square miles. 
The average net annual income of the 
benefices in Derbyshire for the three 



years ending 1831, not deducting cu- 
rates' stipends, was as follows : — 

Alfreton, V £ 150 

Alsop-le-Dale, P. C. . . . . . 49 

Alvaston, P. C ,113 

Ashbourn, V. with Mapleton, R. . . 134 

Ashover, R 481 

Aston -upon-Trent, R. . . • . .1030 

Atlow in Bradbourne, P. C. . . . 148 

Bakewell, V 350 

Barlborough, R. • • • • • ■ 515 

Barlow in Staveiey, P. C 99 

Barrow, V. with Twy ford, C. . . .105 

Barton Blount, R 69 

Baslow, P. C 115 

Beeley, P. C 98 

Heighten, V 312 

Belper, P. C 158 

Blackwell, V 90 

Bolsover, V Ill 

Bonsall, R 201 

Boulton, St. Peter's, Derby, P. C. . . 120 

Boylstone, R 260 

Bradborne, V. with Ballidon, C. . . 119 

Bradley, R 259 

Brailsford, R. with Osmaston, R. . . 673 

Brampton, P. C 143 

Brampton, St. Thomas, P. C. . . 49 

Brassington, P. C. ..... . 87 

Breadsall, R 5S0 

Bretby, (Don.y 80 

Brimington, P. C 102 

Buxton, P. C 105 

Calke, C 34 

Carsington, R 176 

Castleton, V .186 

Chaddesden, P. C 89 

Chapel-en-le-Frith, P. C 145 

Chellaston, P. C 80 

Chelmorton, P. C. ..... . 86 

Chesterfield, V 204 

Church Broughton, V 223 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 



25 



Church Gresley, P. C £ 108 

Clowne, R 311 

Crich,V 98 

Cromford, P. C 96 

Croxall, V 489 

Cubley, R. with Marston Montgomery, R. 523 

Dalbury, R . . 206 

Darleigh, North and South, R. . . 434 
Darley Abbey, in St. Alkmund, Derby, 

P. C 153 

Darwent, P. C 83 

Denby, P. C 94 

Derby, St. Alkmund's, V 235 

„ All Saints, P. C 80 

„ St. John's, P. C 109 

„ St. Michael's, P. C. ... 79 

„ St. Peter's, V. with Normanton, C. 148 

„ St. Werburgh, V 298 

Dethick, P. C 93 

Dore, P. C 90 

Doveridge, V 562 

Dronfield, V 224 

Duffield, V 141 

Earl Sterndale, P. C 96 

Eaton, Little, P. C 94 

Eckington, R. with Killamarsh, R. . 1595 

Edale, P. C 126 

Edensor, (Don. C.) 40 

Edlaston, R 220 

Eggiugton, R • . . 453 

Elmton, V. • 55 

Elton, P. C 98 

Elvaston, V 160 

Etwall, V 342 

Eyam, R 226 

Fairfield, Don. C 79 

Fenny Bentley, R 124 

Foremark, (Don. C.) 31 

Glossop, V 114 

Hallam, West, R 250 

Hartington, V. f . . , . . . 149 

Hartshorne, R. . 540 

Hathersage, V 126 



Hault Haucknall, V £113 

Hayfield, P. C. . , 96 

Heage, P. C 70 

Heanor, V 109 

Heath (or Lowne), V 174 

Hognaston, P. C. • . . • . . 55 

Holbroke, P. C 93 

Holmsfield, P. C 97 

Hope, V 132 

Horsley, V • • 110 

Ilkestone, V 150 

Kedleston, R 155 

Kirkhallum, V 309 

Kirk Ireton, R 355 

Kirk Langley, R 318 

Kniveton, P. C 64 

Langwith, R 204 

Longford, V 260 

Lullington, V 62 

Mackworth, V. with Allestree, P. C. . 161 

Marston-upon-Dore, A' 225 

Matlock, R 320 

Measham,P. C 97 

Melbourne, V. 179 

Mellor, P. C 136 

Mickleover, V. with Littleorer, C. aud 

Findern, C 562 

Monyash, P. C 74 

Morley, R. with Smalley, C. . . . 643 

Morton, R 360 

„ Trinity Chapel, P. C. . . . 32 

Muggington, R 365 

New Mills (St. George's), Glossop, P. C. 9 

Newton Solney (Don.) 20 

Normanton, South, R 320 

Norton, V 270 

Ock brook, V. . . . . . . . 154 

Osmaston, P. C 2 SO 

Parwick, P. C 108 

Peak Forest (Don.) 70 

Pentrich, V. with Ripley, C. . . . 265 

Pinxton, R 293 

Pleasley, R. with Shirebrook, C. . . 493 



26 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



Quarndon, P. C £62 

Radborne, R 372 

Ravenstone, R 300 

Repton, P. C 123 

Risley, P. C. with Breaston, P. C. . 119 

Sandiacre, P. C 95 

Sawle\ r , V. with Wilne, C. and Long 

Eaton, C. . 266 

Scarcliffe, V • 68 

Scropton, (Don.) 49 

Sheldon, P. C 99 

Shirland, R 215 

Smisby or Smithsby, P. C 58 

Somershall, R 225 

Spondon, V 162 

Stanley, P. C . 64 

Stanton-by-Bridge, R 345 

Stanton-juxta-Dale, Y. and Dale Ab- 
bey, C 195 

Stapenhill, V. with Caldwell, C. . . 373 

Staveley, R 706 

Stony Middleton, P. C 88 



Sutton on the Hill, V £225 

Swarkeston, R 182 

Taddington, P. C 87 

Thorpe, R 129 

Tibshelf, V 172 

Ticknall, P. C 97 

Tideswell, V 109 

Tissington, P. C 97 

Trusley, R 129 

Turnditch, P. C 63 

Walton-upon-Trent,R. with Rosliston, C. 828 

Weston-upon-Trent, R. • . . . 594 

Whitwell, R 625 

Willesley, P. C 62 

Willington, V. • 82 

Wingerworth, P. C 77 

Wingfield, North, R 772 

Wingfield, South, V 324 

Winstar, P. C 104 

Wirksworth, V 164 

Wormhill, P. C 270 

Youlgreave, V 214 



CIVIC ECONOMY. 



LOCAL TAXATION AND EXPENDITURE. 

The sum of 1,809,502/. was assessed 
under the various schedules of the pro- 
perty tax in 1814-15, namely, 883,018/. 
to owners ; 716,496/. to occupiers* and 
209,988Z. on profits in trade, besides 
small sums under one or two other 
heads. Owners were assessed as fol- 
lows : — On lands, 707,250/. ; houses, 
87,563/. ; quarries, 1,164/. ; mines, 
26,217/. ; iron works, &c, 39,915/. ; 

* Occupiers of land were assessed at three-fourths 
of the rental or annual value. 



manorial profits, 62/. ; tithes, 20,775/. 
In 1833, the sum of 108,074/. was levied 
in the county for poor's rate, county 
rate, and other local purposes, when 
land was assessed at 81,846/. ; dwell- 
ing-houses, 20,340/. ; mills, factories, 
&c, 3358/. ; manorial profits, naviga- 
tion, &c, 2,529/. 

The average sum expended annually 
for the relief of the poor in the years 
1748-9-50, was 7,677/. ; in 1776 it had 
reached 17,441/. ; in the three years 
from 1783 to 1785 the annual average 
was 22,925/.. ; and the amount was 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 



27 



V for each 
/inhabitant. 



as follows at the under-mentioned 
dates : — 

1801 £54,495, which was 6s. 9d.. 

1811 93,963 „ „ 10 1 ] 

1821 86,756 „ ,,81/ 

^831 78,717 „ ,.6 7 

1834 [72,721 „ „ 6 2 

1835 62,885 „ ,,5 4 

1836 55,018 „ „ 4 8 \ 

1837 48,867 „ ,,411 

1838 48,335 „ „ 4 1 J 

Assuming that the population had in- 
creased at the same rate of per centage 
since 1831 as in the 10 years preceding 
that period, the poor rates paid in 1838 
would give an average of only 3s. §\d. 
per head. Had it not been for the 
high price of provisions in the two 
last years above mentioned and the 
embarrassed state of trade and manu- 
factures, the average would doubtless 
have been even considerably less. 
Comparing 1838 with 1834, there has 
been a decrease of 34 per cent, in the 
sum expended for relief and main- 
tenance ; and including law charges, 
the saving effected amounts to "38 per 
cent. 

There are eight unions under the 
Poor Law Amendment Act, each of 
the following places being the centre of 
a union : — Bake well, Belper, Chapel- 
en-le-Frith, Chesterfield, Derby, Glos- 
sop, Hayfield, and Shardlow. 

The county expenditure for bridges, 
gaols, prosecutions, and other local 
purposes to which the county rate was 
applied, amounted to 6,392/. in 1799 ; 
to 8,188/. in 1811 ; to 11,504/. in 1821 ; 
and to 19,311/. in 1831. For several 
years about this period the disburse- 
ments exceeded the receipts, and a 



debt was incurred by the county, of 
which 10,700/. remained unpaid in 
1839. In 1838 the county expenditure 
was 12,125/. 

Taking the average of the 3 years 
ending October 1812-13-14, the total 
sum received by the surveyors of high- 
ways was 9,647/., which included 
5,600/. levied for repairs of the roads 
and 4,047/. composition money paid in 
lieu of statute labour ; and the estimat- 
ed labour of statute duty performed 
being valued at 10,391/. the total 
expenditure on the highways was 
20,624/. During this period large sums 
were expended in employing persons 
upon the roads who were temporarily 
thrown upon the parish. Since the 
Poor Law Amendment Act was passed 
in 1834, this desultory and inefficient 
practice has been in a great measure 
abandoned. In 1827 the amount of 
highway rates levied in the county was 
16,049/. In 1839 the expenditure on 
highways amounted to 18,627/. 

In 1812-13-14 the length of paved 
streets and roads in the county was 
estimated at 637 miles, and for all 
other highways used for wheel car- 
riages at 1696 miles. In 1839 the ex- 
tent of carriage roads for the repair of 
which the surveyors of the highways 
were responsible, was 1978 miles, and 
the cost of repairs per mile was 9/. 8s. 
This is exclusive of paved streets and 
turnpike roads. In 1834 the number 
of turnpike trusts in Derbyshire was 
40, and the number of miles of road 
under their charge 574. The annual 
income of that year arising from tolls 



28 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



was 31,0S4/. and from parish composi- 
tions and estimated value of statute 
labour 5,530/., which with the receipts 
from other sources made the total 
income 38,920/., the total expenditure 
being 41,819/. The bonded or mortgage 
debts amounted to 280,445/. ; floating 
debt 26,474/. ; unpaid interest 103,119/. 
The sums received and expended by 
the churchwardens in 1832 were as fol- 
lows:— Receipts, 6,629/., viz. church 
rates, 3,849/. ; from estates, &c, 220/. ; 
burial fees, 65/. ; poor rates, 1,719/. ; 
rent of pews, 170/. ; other sources, 603/. 
Expenditure, 6,637/., under the follow- 
ing heads : — Repairs of churches, &c, 
3,410/. ; organs, bells, &c, 318/. ; books, 
wine, &c, 51S/. ; salaries to clerks, 
sextons, &c, 1,224/. ; other purposes, 
1,165/. In 1839 the total receipts 
amounted to 4,832/., of which 3,961/. 
was derived from church rates, and 
87 1/. from other sources. The sum of 
4,605/. was expended, of which 1,749/. 
was for repairs of churches. There is 
a debt of 1,900/. secured on the church 
rates. 

EDUCATION. 

From the Parliamentary returns 
made in the session of 1833, there 
appear to have been 776 daily schools 
and 420 Sunday schools in the county ; 
the former attended by 24,508 children 
and the latter by 39,184 children. 
Adding these two numbers together, 
we have a total of 63,702 children, the 
number of children in the county 
between the ages of 2 and 15 being 
81,000, or between 4 and 14, 66,000. 



In either case' there would be a number 
of children not receiving instruction. 
But the Parliamentary returns in many 
cases double the number of children 
attending schools, duplicate entries oc- 
curring wherever a daily and a Sunday 
school are attended by the same child. 
Thirty-four schools, attended by 2058 
children, were both Sunday and daily 
schools, and only 18 Sunday schools 
were established in places where there 
was no day-school ; but to what extent 
duplicate entries occurred cannot be 
estimated. Forty-six of the daily 
schools attended by 1406 children are 
classed in the Returns as * Infant 
Schools,' but most of them are, proper- 
ly speaking, 'dame schools.' It appears 
that 120 daily and 6 Sunday schools 
were supported by endowments ; 385 
Sunday schools and 24 daily schools by 
subscription ; and the remainder by 
payments from the scholars, or by 
payments and subscriptions conjointly. 
There were 30 boarding-schools in the 
county, and lending libraries were 
attached to 90 schools, chiefly Sunday 
schools. In a table given in the second 
Report of the Registrar- General, of the 
number of persons who were able to 
attest their marriage by their signa- 
tures in full, the proportion in Derby- 
shire was 59 per cent., and for England 
and Wales 40 per cent. 

crime. 

For nearly a quarter of a century 
crime has been constantly increasing 
in the county : the number of persons 
charged with criminal offences in the 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 



29 



7 years ending 1820 was 96 annually ; 
for a similar period ending 1827 the 
number had not increased more rapidly 
than the population, the annual average 
being 105 ; but in the 7 years ending 
1834 the number had risen to 189; 
and in the 5 years ending 1839 the 
annual average was 219, being an 
increase of 100 per cent, as compared 
with the first period, the population 
during this interval having increased 
about 40 per cent. The proportion of 
criminals to the population is, however, 
lower than most of the English counties, 
having been 1 in 1355 in 1835, the 
proportion for England and Wales 
being 1 in 631 ; and only the counties 
of Cornwall, Durham, Cumberland, 
Northumberland, and Westmoreland 
having in that year a smaller propor- 
tional number of criminals than Derby- 
shire. The amount of land held in 
small portions as freehold will partly 
account for this favourable state of 
things. Of the offences annually com- 
mitted, rather more than one-half are 
cases of simple larceny, and the 
punishment awarded in one-half the 
convictions which take place consists 
of imprisonment for periods of 6 
months and under. In 1839, at the 
assizes and sessions, 239 persons were 
charged with crimes. Of these, 26 
were charged with offences against 
the person, 17 of which were for 
assaults, including 13 assaults on peace 
officers ; 29 for offences against pro- 
perty committed with violence ; 179 
offences against property committed 
without violence, 129 being cases of 



simple larceny, and 26 for larceny from 
the person, as pocket picking ; only 1 
offence was classed under the head of 
malicious injuries to property ; there 
were 2 cases of uttering base coin ; 1 
of poaching, and 1 of perjury. Of 
the whole number committed 57 were 
acquitted and 182 were convicted : of 
the latter 2 were transported for life ; 
15 for periods of from 10 to 15 years ; 
19 for periods varying from 7 to 10 
years, and 6 for 7 years ; 5 were sen- 
tenced to imprisonment for periods of 
from 1 to 2 years ; 22 from 6 months 
to 1 year ; 111 for periods of 6 months 
and under ; and 2 were fined or 
whipped. Of the offenders 216 were 
males, and 23 females : and one -third 
were aged between 21 and 30, and 
six-sevenths were above 16 and under 
40. Rather more than one-third (74) 
could neither read nor write, and the 
remainder could only read and write 
imperfectly. The proportion of in- 
structed criminals doe3 not average 
more than 2^ per cent., that is only 5 
in 200 can read and write well, or in 
such a manner as to entitle them to be 
considered as possessing the keys to 
knowledge. 

savings' banks. 

There are 6 of these excellent insti- 
tutions in the county, viz. at Derby, 
Chesterfield, Belper, Ashbourn,Wirks- 
worth, and Chapel-en-le-Frith. The 
number of depositors of sums under 
20/. has increased from 2462 in 1834 
to 3465 in 1839 : in 1835 out of 1000 
persons of all ages in the county, there 



30 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



were 10 depositors of this class, and 
now there are 14, which, however, is 
lower than the average proportion for 
the whole of England. The number 
of depositors exceeding 201. was also 
1000 higher in 1839 than in 1834. The 
state of the savings' banks in Derby- 
shire in Nov. 1839 was as follows : — 



Depositors under 20/. . . . No. 3465 
Amount deposited .... £26,922 
Total number of depositors . . No. 7298 
Amount deposited .... £255,726 
Deposits of 64 Charitable Institu- 
tions £3459 

Deposits of 185 Friendly Societies £23,374 



31 



CHAPTEE II. 

MEANS OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN DERBYSHIRE 
AND LONDON, &c. 



Notwithstanding the rugged nature 
of a large portion of the county, the 
number of railways in Derbyshire is 
greater than in many others in which 
there are fewer obstacles to the forma- 
tion of such lines of communication. 
The mineral wealth of the county had 
long rendered it desirable to provide 
means for distributing it in other dis- 
tricts, and two lines were formed at an 
early period in the history of railways. 
Tram-roads, which were common in 
the districts of Durham and Northum- 
berland early in the seventeenth cen- 
tury, are to be seen in Derbyshire 
wherever coal-pits or other mines are 
worked. 

1. The Mansfield and Pinxton Rail- 
way, for which an act was obtained in 
1825, commences at Pinxton Basin, 
near Alfreton, where it communicates 
with a branch of the Cromford Canal. 
A branch railway begins about a 
mile and a half from Pinxton Basin, 
and passes eastward about a mile and 
a half to the Cromford Canal, a short 
distance from the Codnor Park iron 
works. Both lines pass through a 
country abounding in minerals, and in 
which means of transport were pre- 



viously much wanted. The main line 
terminates at Bull's Head Lane, in the 
town J of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. 
A double line of rails is carried 
throughout the line, which is 7} miles 
in length, and for its execution the 
company, at the head of which was the 
Duke of Portland, was empowered to 
raise a capital of 32,800£. No station- 
ary or locomotive engines are used, 
horse power being alone employed. 
Coal and minerals are the principal 
commodities conveyed. The average 
inclination of the line is about 50 feet 
per mile. 

2. The Cromford and High Peak 
Bailway, the act for which was obtained 
in 1825, begins at the Cromford Canal, 
1 mile south of Cromford, and ends 
at the Peak Forest Canal at Whaley 
Bridge. Its length is about 34 miles, 
and in its course it passes over some 
high land, running by a circuitous 
route to the north side of the Axe 
Edge Hills, where it makes a great 
bend to avoid a valley. It then runs 
within a mile of Buxton, and past 
Goyt's Bridge to its terminus atWhaley 
Bridge. It attains an elevation of 
990 feet above the level of Cromford, 



32 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



or 1271 feet above the sea low-water 
mark. This ascent is accomplished by 
means of several inclined planes, up 
which the waggons are drawn by sta- 
tionary steam-engines. The summit 
level is maintained for a distance of 12^ 
miles, and in its course it passes 
through a hill by means of a tunnel 
638 yards long. The line is also car- 
ried over 52 bridges and archways. 
By means of this railroad a convenient 
communication is opened for the con- 
veyance of minerals and merchandise 
between the counties of Derby, Not- 
tingham, and Leicester, and the town 
of Manchester and port of Liverpool. 
Where the stationary engines are not 
used horse power is employed. The 
capital raised under the act of incor- 
poration was 164,000/. in shares of 
100/. each ; which was further increased 
by a sum of 32,880/., making the total 
capital 197,280/. The line was opened 
in 1830, five years after the act had 
been obtained. 

We have next to notice the railways 
connected with Derbyshire which are 
intended for the conveyance of passen- 
gers as well as goods. There are — 1. 
The Birmingham and Derby Railway. 

2. The Midland Counties Railway. 

3. The North Midland Railway. 4. 
The Sheffield and Manchester railway. 

1. The Birmingham and Derby 
Junction Railway is connected with the 
London and ■ Birmingham line by 
branches at Hampton and at Birming- 
ham. The length of the line from the 
terminus at Hampton to Derby is 3SJ, 
and from the Birmingham terminus to 



Derby 47i miles. The branches unite 
at Coleshill about 14 miles from Bir- 
mingham and 6 from Hampton, and 
the line then proceeds by a course 
nearly due north to Tamworth, crossing 
the Tame and the Trent at their 
junction in Croxall parish, and passing 
close by Bur ton- up on- Trent on its 
west side, through Willington and 
Norman ton to Derby. This line forms 
the grand chain of railway communi- 
cation between the Severn and the 
northern and western parts of Eng- 
land. At the western terminus of the 
line at Birmingham, it forms a junc- 
tion with railways to London, Glou* 
cester, Bristol and Exeter, and to 
Liverpool, Manchester, and Lancaster ; 
the northern terminus at Derby unit- 
ing with lines which extend the means 
of communication to Nottingham* 
Sheffield, Leeds, Hull, York, and New- 
castle. The works were not commenced 
until 1837, and the line was opened 
throughout in August, 1839. The 
traveller cannot fail to admire the 
beautiful viaduct over the Anker river 
between Kingsbury and Tamworth, 
consisting of 18 arches of 30 feet span 
each, and 1 oblique arch of 60 feet 
span, the whole elevated 23 feet above 
the bed of the river : the cost of 
this work was 18,000/. Before reaching 
Tamworth there is an embankment 
which in some parts is 30 feet above 
the level of the surrounding country ; 
and after leaving that town there is a 
cutting 2 miles long, which in some 
places is 45 feet deep. Between Tam- 
worth and Burton-upon-Trent, near 



MEANS OF COMMUNICATION. 



33 



the confluence of the Tame and Trent, 
is the viaduct by which these rivers 
are crossed ; it is a quarter of a mile in 
length, standing upon 1000 piles driven 
15 feet below the beds of the rivers, 
and cost 14,000^. Notwithstanding 
the expense of these works the cost of 
the line did not exceed the sum which 
the act of incorporation enabled the 
company to raise — a rare instance in 
the history of these stupendous under- 
takings. 

After this general description of the 
line, its connection with Derbyshire 
remains to be shown. On leaving the 
Tamworth Station we soon approach 
the south-western corner of Derby- 
shire, and from the confluence of the 
Trent and Tame to the junction of 
the Dove with the Trent, the railway 
pursues the valley of the Trent, the 
river forming the boundary of Derby- 
shire. The distance between these two 
points is about 10 miles, and though 
the railway does not once enter the 
county, yet in no case is it more than 
a mile from the river which forms its 
boundary ; and as for the most part of 
its course it passes within a still shorter 
distance, it is nearly as serviceable to 
the tourist in this part of Derbyshire 
as if it entered the county. Passing 
Walton-hall on the banks of the Trent 
we quickly reach the Walton Station, 
14 miles from Derby. The Station at 
Burton-upon-Trent is 4 miles nearer 
i Derby, and 2 miles from Burton we 
enter Derbyshire and immediately 
cross the Dove. The Willington Sta- 
tion is 6 miles from the Derby Station. 
The places adjacent to the above sta- 



tions will be more conveniently noticed 
on taking an excursion along the line 
from Derby. 

2. The Midland Counties Railway 
has its southern terminus at Rugby, 
where it joins the London and Bir- 
mingham Railway, at a distance of 82£ 
miles from London ; and it has two 
northern termini, one at Nottingham 
and the other at Derby, which diverge 
at Long Eaton. The length of the line 
from its junction with the London and 
Birmingham Railway at Rugby to 
Derby is 49£ miles, making the dis- 
tance from London to Derby 131| 
miles, and therefore about 11 miles 
shorter than the Birmingham and 
Derby Junction line from Hampton. 
From Derby to Nottingham the length 
of the line is rather more than 15^ 
miles. The Midland Counties line, 
after leaving Rugby, passes through or 
near Leicester, Mount Sorrel, and 
Loughborough : it proceeds in a direct 
course nearly north to the town of Lei- 
cester, a distance of 20 miles ; the 
course then varies to about north-west, 
when the line is continued parallel to 
the river Soar, north of the town of 
Loughborough and through a populous 
manufacturing district. A portion of 
the line was opened in 'June, 1S39 ; a 
further portion on May 5, and the 
whole line on June 30, 1840. the 
amount of earth- work in forming the 
line, especially on the portion south 
of Leicester, was considerable; the 
average of the whole line being 110,000 
cubic yar<Js per mile, and of the south- 
ern part 159,000 cubic yards, Near 
the junction with the Birmingham 



34 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



Railway at Rugby there is an extensive 
viaduct. There are two short tunnels, 
near Leicester, and at Redhill : on 
emerging from the latter the railway 
crosses the Trent by a beautiful bridge 
of 3 iron arches of 100 feet span, a little 
beyond which the line diverges to 
Derby and Nottingham. 

The greater portion of the traffic be- 
tween London and Derby, Notting- 
ham, Sheffield, Leeds, York, Hull, 
and Newcastle will naturally flow into 
this line, which thus becomes one of 
great importance. By it also a supply 
of coal may be received in London 
from the important and valuable coal- 
fields in Derbyshire. 

Soon after leaving the Loughborough 
Station we cross the Soar and enter 
Nottinghamshire, in which county, 
along the valley of the Soar, the rail- 
way is carried for about 7 miles, when 
crossing the Trent we enter Derby- 
shire. A line drawn due west from 
Loughborough to the nearest part of 
Derbyshire would form the base of 
an angle about 12 miles in length, the 
eastern side of the angle being formed 
by the railway, the western side by 
the boundary line of the county, and the 
vertex of the angle being the point 
where it enters Derbyshire. At this 
point the line diverges, one branch 
being carried to Nottingham, distant 6 
miles, and the other to Derby, distant 
9£ miles. The stations in Derbyshire 
are at Long Eaton, Sawley, Borrowash, 
and Spondon ; but the places in their 
respective vicinities will be noticed in 
passing from Derby to Nottingham. 
. The North Midland Railway . 



This railway commences at Derby, 
where a station of extraordinary extent 
has been erected, for the use of this 
and the other lines terminating in that 
town. The line takes a very pic- 
turesque course by Belper and Ches- 
terfield to Rotherham, where it com- 
municates with the Sheffield and Ro- 
therham Railway. Near Wakefield 
the Manchester and Leeds Railway 
joins this line, and further north are 
the two junctions of the line from 
York. The northern terminus is at 
Leeds, and the length of the whole 
line is 72f miles. Of the most re- 
markable works on the line may be 
mentioned the Milford tunnel, of 836 
yards, that at Clay Cross of about a 
mile, (the two former in Derbyshire,^ 
and the Che vet tunnel near Wakefield 
of 600 yards; the viaduct at Bull 
Bridge, Derbyshire, where the river 
Amber, a turnpike road, the railway, 
and the Cromford Canal intersect each 
other in the order recited, upon as 
many different levels; and those at 
Beighton, of seven, and near Rother- 
ham, of about thirty arches. The 
bridges are in many cases of great di- 
mensions. The Derwent at Belper 
Pool is crossed by two bridges of Bal- 
tic timber, one 400 and the other 450 
feet long, the two containing 200,000 
cubic feet of timber. There are 7 
tunnels in the entire line, amounting in 
the whole to 3,800 yards, or nearly 2J- 
miles, and upwards of 200 bridges. 
The quantity of earth moved in form- 
ing the line averaged 130,000 cubic 
yards per mile. This astonishing 
amount of labour was performed in 



MEANS OF COMMUNICATION. 



35 



little more than three years, the Clay 
Cross tunnel having been commenced 
in February, 1837, 40 miles of the 
line being opened in May, and the 
whole on July 1, 1840. During part 
of the time that the works were in 
progress, from 9,000 to 10,000 men, 
assisted by 18 steam engines, were 
employed. The parliamentary capital 
of the company is 3,000,000/., and 
their disbursements to Dec. 31, 1840, 
were 2,929,696/. There can be little 
doubt of this line becoming one of the 
most important channels of traffic and 
intercourse in the kingdom. It passes 
through the whole extent of the great 
Derbyshire and Yorkshire coal-field, 
and is the medium of communication 
between the towns of Chesterfield, 
Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, Wake- 
field, and Leeds, and the active manu- 
facturing communities of which the 
above places are the centre. On the 
west of the line there is a communi- 
cation with Manchester and the im- 



portant intervening districts, and on 
the east there are branches to Selby 
and Hull, and to York and Newcastle. 
The main line passes through some of 
the most picturesque districts in Eng- 
land, 34 miles of its course being 
within Derbyshire, whose singular 
beauties will in consequence become 
more familiar to pleasure tourists from 
the metropolis, and from the midland 
and northern manufacturing districts ; 
and this will be the case to an extent 
proportioned to the difficulty of access 
to the county which formerly existed. 
To thousands who have little time at 
their command, but who usually snatch 
a few days during the fine season for 
a country excursion, Derbyshire will 
be almost an entirely new field opened 
by the railways for their enjoyment ; 
and seven or eight hours will enable 
them to reach the most picturesque 
parts of the county from the distant 
metropolis. 

The following table shows the dis- 



DERBY, DERBY. The Mail-Trains travel from Derby to Leeds in three hours, stopping 

Duffield, 5* Duffield. only at first-class stations, which are denoted in the table by 

Belper, 7* 2 Belper. Roman capitals. The Mixed Trains stop at second-class 

Amber Gate, 10* 5* 3* Amber Gate, stations, which are indicated by small capital?, 

Winfiet.d, 14 8|- 6* 3* Winfield. and also at each principal station. Every 

Smithy Moor, T7* 12* 10* 7* 3* Smithy Moor. morning and evening a train starts 

Tupton, 20 14| 12* 9^ 6 2i Tupton. from each end of the line which 

CHESTERFIELD, ... 24 18f 16* 13* 10 6* 4 CHESTERFIELD. calls at even, station, per- 

Staveley, 27* 22* 20* 17* 13* 10 7* 3* Staveley. forming the journey in 

Eckington, 30*25 23 19$ 16* 12* 10* 6* 2* Eckington. 4* hours. 

Killamarsh, 32*27 25 2lf 18* 14* 12* 8* 4* 2 Killamarsh. 

Beightox, 34 28* 26*23*20 16*14 10 6* S* 1* Beighton. 

ROTHERHAM, 40 34* 32* 29* 26 2-2* .20 16 12£ 9* 7* 6 ROTHERHAM. 

BARNSLEY, 53 47* 45*42*39 35*33 29 25* 22*20*19 13 BARNSLEY. 

WAKEFIELD, 60 54* 52*49*46 42*40 33 3:2* 29*. 27* 26 20 7 WAKEFIELD. 

LEEDS, 72* 67* 65* 62* 53* 55 50* 48* 45 42* 40* S8* 32* 19 12* LEEDS. 

D 2 



36 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



tances to every station in the county, 
but for that part of the line which is 
not in Derbyshire only some of the 
principal stations are given : the rail- 
way enters Yorkshire at the Beighton 
Station, and sweeps down the beauti- 
ful valley of the Rother to Rotherham, 
where there is a branch line to Sheffield. 
4. An Act for making a Railway 
from Sheffield to Manchester was ob- 
tained in 1837, and the line, which is 
40 miles in length, is expected to be 
opened in 1842. After leaving Shef- 
field, the railway passes through Lord 
Wharncliffe's park and proceeds to 
Penistone, crossing afterwards the 
north-western corner of Derbyshire, 
and entering Cheshire near Staley 
Bridge. The principal engineering 
difficulties are the carrying of the rail- 
way over the Etherow and over Dint- 
ing Vale, near Glossop, and the tunnel 
at the summit level, which will be 3 
miles long with a single line of rails : 
in every other part of the line there 
will be double rails. This railway 
will connect the eastern and western 
coasts from the mouths of the Humber 
to the Mersey ; the Hull and Selby, 
Leeds and Selby, and Leeds and Man- 
chester Railways forming another line 
between the eastern and western seas ; 
and the Newcastle and Carlisle Rail- 
way being a third line for effecting a 
similar communication. The Sheffield 
and Manchester Railway will not afford 
many facilities to the Derbyshire tour- 
ist, but it will be of great importance 
to the country through which it passes, 
and while it facilitates the distribution 



of groceries and colonial produce from 
Liverpool, it will enable the manufac- 
turers of Sheffield and the neighbour- 
hood to send their goods for shipment 
to the United States with the least pos- 
sible delay. At present, owing to the 
nature of the country, the carriage 
of goods from or to Sheffield over the 
rugged and elevated roads of Derby- 
shire is both tedious and costly. The 
railway will pass within 9 or 10 miles 
of Chapel-en-le- Frith, and about 16 
miles from Buxton, which places are 
in the midst of some of the most inte- 
resting parts of Derbyshire. The 
number of visitors to the latter place 
cannot fail to be increased by the ad- 
ditional facilities of communication 
which the railway presents to the 
towns of Manchester, Liverpool, and 
with Lancashire and the northern 
parts of Cheshire generally. 

TURNPIKE ROADS. 

1. The great road from London to 
Manchester, Carlisle, and Glasgow, 
passes through the county, entering 
Derbyshire at Cavendish Bridge, over 
the Trent, just above its junction with 
the Derwent : it runs north-west 
through Derby and Ashbourn, and 
quits the county at Hanging Bridge, 
over the Dove. Two other roads to 
Manchester branch off from that just 
described: one at Ashbourn,,' which 
runs jNT.N.W. through Buxton, and 
quits the county at Whaley Bridge ; 
another at Derby, which runs through 
Matlock, Bake well, and Chapel- en-le- 
Frith. 



MEANS OF COMMUNICATION. 



37 



2. The road which connects Bristol 
and Birmingham with Sheffield and 
Leeds enters Derbyshire at Monk's 
Bridge, over the Dove, and runs north- 
ward by Derby, Chesterfield, and 
Dronfield, into Yorkshire. 

3. The road from London to Sheffield 
and Leeds enters the eastern side of 
the county from Nottinghamshire, and 
runs to Chesterfield, where it unites 
with the road just mentioned. 

4. A road from Sheffield to Man- 
chester crosses the Peak through 
Hathersage, Castleton, and Chapel-en- 
le- Frith. There is likewise another 
road over the moors between these two 
places, which passes by Glossop ; but 
though shorter, it is far less picturesque 
than the former road. 

CANALS. 

Derbyshire has several navigable 
canals as well as railroads : 1, The 
Grand Trunk, or the Trent and Mer- 
sey Canal; 2, the Ere wash Canal; 
3, the Derby Canal ; 4, the Cromford 
Canal; 5, the Nutbrook Canal; and 
6, the Chesterfield Canal. The Peak 
Forest and the Ashby-de-la-Zouch ca- 
nals have a small portion of their ex- 
tent just within the county, but rather 
belong, the former to Cheshire and 
the latter to Leicestershire. We shall 
not therefore notice them here. 

1. The Trent and Mersey Canal be- 
longs to Derbyshire from its com- 
mencement in the river Trent, at 
"Wilden Ferry, (at the junction of the 
Derwent,) to Monk's Bridge, where 
the canal is carried for a mile and a 



quarter over the flat meadows of the 
Dove Valley on an embankment thir- 
teen feet high, with aqueduct bridges 
over the Dove and one or two other 
streams, containing 23 arches of from 
12 to 15 feet span : 12 of these arches 
are over the main branch of the Dove. 
This canal was begun in 1766, and its 
whole extent is 93 miles. It extends 
through Derbyshire, Staffordshire, and 
Cheshire. Until the year 1785, men 
were employed in large gangs to draw 
the boats ; now horses are universally 
used. 

2. The Erewash Canal commences 
in the Trent, midway between the 
junction of the Derwent and that of 
the Erewash river, and runs north- 
ward along the valley of the Erewash, 
first on the west and then on the east 
side of that river, and terminates in the 
Cromford Canal at Langley Bridge: 
that part of its course which is on the 
east side of the Erewash belongs to 
Nottinghamshire. Its whole length 
is nearly eleven miles. It has aque- 
duct arches over the Nutbrook and the 
Erewash river. It serves for the 
importation of corn, malt, and timber, 
and for the export of coal, limestone, 
iron, lead, and marble and other stone. 

3. The Derby Canal is described 
under the town of Derby. 

4. The Cromford Canal commences 
in the Erewash Canal at Langley 
Bridge, and runs northward to the 
Codnor Park Iron Works, following 
the valley of the Erewash, and having 
the first part of its course on the east 
side of that river in Nottinghamshire, 



38 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



and the latter part on the west side in 
Derbyshire. From Codnor it sends 
off a branch, two miles and a half or 
three miles long, along the valley of 
the Ere wash, on the west or Derby- 
shire side of that river, to the village 
of Pinxton, while the main line of the 
canal turns westward to the valley of 
the Derwent, crossing the river Amber 
in its way ; it then turns to the north- 
west and follows the valley of the Der- 
went, first on the east and then on the 
west side of that river, to Cromford 
Bridge, where it terminates : the 
length of the canal is 15 miles nearly. 
Between the valley of the Ere wash 
and that of the Derwent this canal is 
carried through the higher ground by 
a tunnel more than a mile and a half 
long. The width of the canal in the 
tunnel is 9 feet at the surface of the 
water ; the crown of the arch is 8 feet 
above the water. The tunnel is lined 
with brick, except where the perforat- 
ed rock appeared capable of support- 
ing itself. There are three aqueduct 
bridges on the line of this canal. One 
is over the Erewash ; one, Bull Bridge 
aqueduct, which is over the Amber, 
is 600 feet long and 50 feet high ; the 
third aqueduct is over the Derwent, 
at Wigwell, and is 600 feet long and 30 
feet high ; the span of the river arch is 
80 feet. This canal is chiefly used for 
the conveyance of coals and coke ; but 
lime and limestone, gritstone, iron- 
stone, iron, lead, slate, timber, corn, 
&c, are carried on it. Besides the 
Pinxton cut already noticed, there is 
another small cut near the Derwent 



aqueduct, and there are several short 
railways which enable the coal-works, 
&c, on its line to communicate with 
the canal. A railway from Mansfield 
communicates with the Pinxton branch, 
and the Cromford and High Peak Rail- 
way communicates with the main line 
of the canal near its termination at 
Cromford Bridge. 

5. The Nutbrook Canal commences 
at the collieries at Shipley, on the 
right of the road from Derby to Mans- 
field, and runs S.S.E. 4J miles into 
the Erewash Canal. Several railroads 
lead from the neighbouring collieries 
to the Nutbrook Canal, the convey- 
ance of coal being its chief object. 
T 6. The Chesterfield Canal commences 
in the tideway of the Trent, below 
Gainsborough, and has the greater 
part of its course in Nottinghamshire, 
and a small part in Yorkshire. It 
enters Derbyshire from the latter 
county near the village of Killamarsh, 
in the valley of the Rother, and 
runs S.S.W. along that valley to Ches- 
terfield. Its whole length is 46 miles, 
of which about 12 are in Derbyshire. 
In the Derbyshire part of the canal 
are two aqueduct bridges, one over a 
brook at Renishaw furnace, and one 
over the Doolee or Dawley, a branch 
of the Rother, near Staveley : many 
tramways communicate with it, and 
are intended to convey coal and iron 
from the collieries and iron-works 
thereabout. This canal was opened 
a.d. 1777 ; its object is the exporta- 
tion of coal, lime, lead, and iron ; and 
the importation of corn, timber, &c. 



MEANS OF COMMUNICATION. 



39 



Having now introduced the reader 
within the county, we shall refer him 
to the following table for the relative 
distances of towns, and in the course 



of the following chapters point out the 
most convenient or picturesque roads 
leading to them. 



TABLE OF DISTANCES OF TOWNS FROM EACH OTHER IN THE COUNTY 

OF DERBY. 



Ashbourn, 

Ashover, 

BakeweU, 

Belper, 

Bolsover, 

Burton-upon-Trent, 

Buxton, . . 

Chapel-in le-Frith, 

Chesterfield, 

Crich, . 

Darley Dale, 

Derby, . . 

Dronfield, ~« 

Duffield, 

Hope, . 

Matlock, 

Pleasley, • 

Ripley, 

Sawley, • ♦ 

Stoney Middlcton,. 

Tides well, . 

Winster, • 

Wirks worth, . 



Distance from London 



Miles 



Alfreton, . . 

17 Ashbourn, 

7 16 Ashover, . 
15 16 11 Bakewell, 

8 11 12 17 Belper, 
11 24 12 18 20 Bolsover, 
23 19 30 34 18 38 Burton-upon-Trent, 

26 21 22 11 27 29 35 Buxton, 
28 23 22 15 28 29 40 5 Chapel-in -le-Frith, 

9 22 8 12 15 6 32 22 23 Chesterfield, 
5 13 9 13 5 20 26 24 28 12 Crich, . 

11 13 6 5 14 20 29 14 19 9 9 Darley Dale, 

13 13 20 24 8 24 11 30 25 24 12 19 Derby, 

14 25 12 11 20 9 37 20 22 6 18 16 27 Dronfield, 
9 12 15 20 3 26 16 29 33 18 8 16 4 23 Duffield, 

27 29 23 12 29 25 44 12 8 18 28 17 34 12 30 Hope, 
8 12 4 8 10 20 27 18 22 9 7 3 18 13 13 20 Matlock, 

11 28 12 20 20 4 36 30 25 10 16 18 28 17 23 25 13 Pleasley, 
4 15 11 11 5 18 20 28 33 15 4 14 10 18 6 28 10 12 Ripley, 

22 23 25 33 15 30 22 40 40 28 21 28 9 30 13 36 25 24 19 Sawley, 
20 20 14 6 22 20 34 12 13 12 18 9 17 10 23 6 15 20 22 36 Stoney Middn., 

23 19 17 7 24 23 30 7 7 16 20 11 30 14 26 6 16 27 24 36 6 

12 10 10 6 12 18 28 16 20 13 10 3 17 15 14 16 5 20 15 27 11 12 Winster, 
8 9 6 10 6 ~2 22 19 24 14 5 7 13 16 9 23 4 17 9 22 16 16 5 Wirks. 



142 
139 
157 
153 
134 
146 
123 
159 
163 
147 
137 
15 
126 
154 
130 
165 
134 
142 
136 
120 
159 
160 
148 
139 



40 



CHAPTER III. 
THE DERBY RAILWAY STATION. 




[Derby Station, North Midland Railway.] 



The railway lines of communication 
between London and Derby have been 
pointed out in the preceding chapter ; 
and whether the tourist travels by the 
Midland Counties Railway from Rugby, 
by the line from Birmingham, or by 
the North Midland Railway from 
Leeds, his journey will terminate at 
the same station. The Derby Station 
is indeed the most spacious and exten- 



sive structure of the kind yet erected. 
The principal carriage shed is 450 feet 
long, and 140 wide, covering 9 sepa- 
rate tracks, and a portion of covered 
way 42 feet wide extends to the length 
of 1050 feet. The roofs are well 
lighted and are supported by 60 fluted 
columns of cast-iron, 22 feet high. 
The proprietors of the Midland Coun- 
ties and Birmingham and Derby June- 






DERBY. 



41 



tion Railways pay a rent of 6 per cent. 
to the North Midland Railway Com- 
pany for the accommodation which 
the station affords. The area enclosed 
comprises 26 acres, and contains offices 
for the directors, booking-offices, wait- 
ing rooms, an hotel, carriage and 
engine sheds, and other conveniences. 
The chief building, which contains the 
booking and other offices, and the wait- 
ing and refreshment rooms, is 230 feet 
long and 3 stories in height. The 
engine-house is a polygon of 16 sides, 
and 134 feet in diameter, with a conical 
roof and lantern 50 feet high, and will 
contain above 30 engines. Sixteen 
lines of rails radiate from a turn-table 
in the centre, by which the engines 
are removed into any part of the build- 
ing that may be convenient. The 
engine-house has wings, 160 to 180 feet 
long, in which there are workshops 
for the repair of carriages. It is evi- 
dent that Derby will become a great 
central point in the railway communi- 
cation of the country, and the directors 
of the three lines which form a junc- 
tion at this town have therefore acted 
wisely in at once adopting a large scale 
for their operations. No stronger 
or more decisive proof could be ad- 
duced of the energy and enterprise 
of the country, and the confidence of 
capitalists in its continued advance- 
ment, than the station and works of 
wirich we have just given a brief de- 
scription. 

The town is about a mile south-east 

i of the station, and there are omnibuses 

in waiting on the arrival of the trains, 



which deposit passengers at the prin- 
cipal inns, the fare being 6c?. We 
shall here give a brief notice of the 
town, and indicate the chief points of 
interest which it presents to the tourist, 
who will generally be disposed to make 
it one of the central points in his jour- 
ney through the county. 

Derby, situated on the west bank 
of the river Derwent, a few miles above 
the junction of that river with the 
Trent, is 114 or 115 miles N.N.W. of 
London in a straight line, or 126 miles 
by the road from London to Man- 
chester, through St. Albans, Dun- 
stable, Stoney Stratford, Northamp- 
ton, Market Harborough, Leicester, 
Mount Sorrel, and Loughborough. By 
railway, the distance from London is 
131 miles ; from Birmingham, 4SJ ; 
Leeds, 72f ; Sheffield, 45 ; Leicester, 
29J ; Nottingham, 15^ miles. Derby 
is in 52° 55' north latitude, and 1° 29' 
west longitude. The river Derwent 
was, several years since, made navi- 
gable from the town of Derby to its 
junction with the Derwent at Derby, 
a towing bridge being thrown across 
that river. From Derby the course of 
the canal is eastward until it joins the 
Erewash canal at Sandiacre. Over 
the Markeaton brook, which runs 
through Derby, the canal is carried in 
a cast-iron trough or aqueduct. From 
Derby a short branch of this canal ex- 
tends to Little Eaton, 3 or 4 miles 
north of Derby, with two arms to the 
quarries on Little Eaton common. 
The Derby Canal is 44 feet wide at 
top and 24 feet wide at bottom, and 5 



42 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



feet deep. Derby is supplied by this 
canal with coal, building-stone, gyp- 
sum, and other things. 

Derby is situated in the southern and 
level part of the county, in the hun- 
dred of Morleston and Litchurch. It 
lies in an open valley, low, but not 
flat, and is surrounded by a pleasant 
undulating country. The soil in the 
valley is in general very good, and the 
land in the neighbourhood of the town 
is in a high state of cultivation. Water 
is plentiful, in fact too much so ; for 
the floods caused by rains in the 
mountainous parts of the county, 
where the river has its source, have 
sometimes proved very destructive. 
The town is ancient, possibly British ; 
there is no doubt that it took its name 
from that of the river Derwent, for 
which several etymologies have been 
devised. The name is common to 
several rivers in England, as in Cum- 
berland, Durham, and York ; and 
they may all be referred to the same 
British or Celtic root, 'dwr,' water. 
The Roman station Derventio, on 
the east bank of the river, opposite 
to Derby, is no doubt the British name 
Latinized. It does not appear that 
there was a Roman town on the spot 
where Derby now stands, though some 
habitations were most certainly there. 
Roman remains have been occasionally 
dug up, and in 1825 a tessellated pave- 
ment was found in making a found- 
ation for a new house. The Iknield 
Street passed close by the site of the 
town, on its way to Derventio, over 
the Derwent, which it crossed by a 



bridge, the foundations of which, it is 
said, are yet existing, and may be felt 
in the bed of the river by an oar or a 
long pole. 

Notwithstanding its antiquity, there 
are but few historical facts of import- 
ance connected with Derby. It came 
early into the possession of the Danes, 
being occupied by the Danish chief 
Halfden in the reign of Alfred. It 
remained in their power about 45 
years, when Ethelfleda, a daughter of 
Alfred and wife of Ethelred, the Earl 
of Mercia, recovered possession of it, 
after a bloody battle w r ithin the town, 
from which the Danes were driven out 
with considerable slaughter. This 
was in the year 918 ; but the Saxon 
dominion was of short duration. The 
Danes soon returned in greater force, 
recovered the town, and retained it 
with little interruption so long as they 
held any power in England. This 
people knew it by the name of Deor- 
aby, which, with a mere orthographical 
change, it still retains ; while the Sax- 
ons, to whom it might be called a 
foreign town, gave it the uncouth ap- 
pellation of Northworthige. 

Derby attained considerable import- 
ance before the Norman conquest, and 
in the reign of Edward the Confessor it 
is stated in * Domesday Book ' to have 
contained 243 burgesses, besides 41 
who occupied land adjoining to the 
town ; but a very few years reduced 
the number to little more than a third 
of its former amount. This diminu- 
tion is attributable to losses in war : 
the vassals of Edwin earl of Mercia, 



DERBY. 



43 



in which division of the kingdom Der- 
by was comprised, had joined those of 
Morcai, earl of Northumberland, to 
repel the attacks of Norway on the 
northern part of the kingdom ; and 
the town was immediately after drained 
of those w,ho remained by Harold, and 
carried to the south to fall in battle 
against William the Conqueror. The 
castle probably went to ruin about the 
same time : its site is still called the 
Castle-hill and the Castle-field. The 
last remains of the building are said to 
have disappeared during the reign of 
Elizabeth : Hutton traced one of the 
mounds of it 80 yards long. When 
the Domesday survey was made, the 
number of burgesses was only 100. 
The town w T as granted by the Con- 
queror to his natural son William 
Peveril, whose name has been made 
known to every reader by the pen of 
Sir Walter Scott. From the time of 
the Conquest no historical event of 
interest is connected with Derby for 
several centuries. King Charles I. 
marched through Derby soon after he 
set up his standard at Nottingham ; 
but in the same year the town was 
garrisoned by the parliamentarians 
under Sir John Gell, and appears to 
have remained in the hands of that 
party through the war ; the garrison 
however was removed in 1645. In 
1745, the young Pretender, with his 
army, entered Derby on his march to 
dethrone the king of England. On 
this ill-concerted expedition the young 
prince with his small army reached 
the town on the evening of the 4th of 



December. Here he called a council ; 
and finding the opinions of his officers 
unfavourable to the success of the 
enterprise, at the same time appre- 
hending an attack from the Duke of 
Cumberland, who was rapidly ap- 
proaching, he determined on abandon- 
ing his project, and retreated on the 
6th after levying between 2000/. and 
3000/. on the inhabitants during his 
short stay. We give on the following 
page an engraving of the house at 
which the prince lodged : it is in 
Full-street, and then belonged to the 
Earl of Exeter, but is now occupied 
by W. E. Mousley, Esq. 

The town has received many char- 
ters. Richard I. granted one, which, at 
the urgent prayer of the inhabitants, 
enacted that they should have the power 
of expelling all Jews from the town, 
and the privilege of preventing any 
Jew from residing there in future. 
King John, Henry VI., Edward VI., 
James I., and Charles I., each granted 
the town a charter, and two were 
granted by Charles II. The last char- 
ter of Charles II. was, up to the pass- 
ing of the Municipal Reform Act, the 
governing charter ; but Derby claimed 
to be a borough by prescription. 
Under the new Act, Derby is divided 
into 6 wards, and has 12 aldermen and 
36 councillors. Derby returned bur- 
gesses to Parliament, 26 Edward I. 
(1294), and has continued to do so ever 
since. 

Several religious foundations existed 
at Derby from an early period. A 
monastery of Augustine canons was 



44 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 




[The House in which the Pretender lodged at Derby.] 



founded in the reign of Stephen, and 
soon after removed to Darley, about a 
mile farther up the river, where a few 
ruins may yet be seen. Darley Abbey, 
at the dissolution, was valued at 258/. 
net annual revenue. The abbot of 
that house founded a nunnery of the 
order of St. Benedict about the year 
1160, which was granted at the sup- 
pression to the Earl of Shrewsbury. 
This foundation was erected at a spot 
still called Nun's Close, where ancient 
remains are occasionally found. A 
stone coffin, within two feet of the sur- 
face of the ground, containing the 



skeleton of a female, was dug up on 
the site of the nunnery about 10 years 
ago. There was also an abbey of Do- 
minicans, dedicated to the Virgin 
Mary, in the 13th century, — a cell of 
Cluniac monks, subject to Bermondsey 
Abbey in Southwark, and two hospi- 
tals for lepers ; but of all these no ves- 
tige remains. 

The general appearance of the mo- 
dern town is neat, but irregular ; the 
streets are narrow, but most of the 
houses are good, and some of a supe- 
rior description. They are mostly of 
red brick, and the public buildings tff 



DERBY. 



45 



stone. There are but few remains of 
the domestic architecture of our ances- 
tors. In Babington Lane there is a 
house still standing in which Mary 
Queen of Scots slept on her journey 
from Winfield to Tutbury. The 
streets are well paved, and lighted 
with gas. The town extends nearly a 
mile in length along the Derwent, and 
is about half a mile broad. The Mark- 
eaton brook runs through the town to 
the Derwent, and is one cause of the 
floods, which have occasionally pro- 
duced much damage to the town. 
Several small bridges cross the brook, 
and a handsome one of three elliptic 
arches traverses the Derwent. This 
bridge replaced the old and dan- 
gerous structure described by Hutton 
as very narrow, high, and difficult — 
dangerous to men, and fatiguing to 
horses. An attempt was made about a 
century and a-half ago, to get at the 
foundation of the old bridge by turn- 
ing the course of the river, but in vain ; 
— the river would not be controlled, 
and the project was abandoned : the 
piles remained visible for many years 
after, and might be seen in a clear day 
within the present century. Derby 
is well supplied with water from 
springs, and also by water- works from 

: the river. It is conveyed from the 
Derwent by pipes leading to a reser- 

i voir on the top of St. Michael's church, 
whence it is distributed through the 
town. The river was made navigable 
in the beginning of the last century ; 
but since the formation of branch 
canals to the Erewash and the Trent, 



the navigation of the river has ceased. 
These branches are each 8^ miles lone:. 
The municipal and parliamentary 
limits of the borough of Derby coin- 
cide, and comprehend the whole of 
the two parishes of All Saints and St. 
Werburgh, and portions of the other 
three, namely, St. Michael's, St. Aik- 
mund's, and St. Peter's. All that can 
properly be considered as the town 
of Derby is within the borough limits, 
which enclose an area of 1660 sta- 
tute acres. Each of the five parishes 
has its own church : the one dedicated 
to St. Alkmund is the most ancient. 
St. Alkmund was the son of Alurid, 
King of Northumberland, and was 
killed in a contest to replace his father 
on the throne. His remains were in- 
terred in the church which now bears 
his name, and miracles were said to be 
wrought at his shrine. Little is to be 
said of the churches dedicated to St. 
Peter, St. Michael, and St. Werburgh. 
All Saints, formerly collegiate, is the 
" pride of Derby," and is ludicrously 
compared by Hutton to "a hen be- 
tween her four chickens." The tower 
is very lofty, being nearly 180 feet in 
height ; it is in the later English style, 
is much enriched towards the top, and 
is surmounted by four pinnacles. On 
a fillet round the tower is an inscrip- 
tion in old English characters, begin- 
ning with the words "young men and 
maidens," probably from the 148th 
psalm, a verse of which so begins. The 
remainder is so defaced as to be ille- 
gible, but the visible portion is inter- 
preted by the good people of Derby to 



46 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



import that the tower was built to the 
height of that inscription by the youths 
and maids of the town ; and in cor- 
roboration of the fact it is stated that 
the bachelors used to ring the bells 
whenever a young woman born in the 
town was married. The tower was 
built in the reign of Henry VIII., and 
is furnished with a peal of 10 bells and 
chimes. The body of the church was 
rebuilt, chiefly by voluntary subscrip- 
tion, in the years 1723, 1724, and 1725. 
It is unluckily in a style most incon- 
gruous with that of the tower, being of 
the Roman-Doric order, with circular 
arched windows, divided by double 
pilasters, and surmounted by a balus- 
trade. It is 130 feet in length and 83 
in breadth, and is divided by a hand- 
some screen of iron into two portions. 
The western end only is appropriated 
to public worship : the eastern division 
is subdivided into three parts, one of 
which is the vestry, a second the chan- 
cel, and the third is the burial-place of 
the Devonshire family, most of whom 
are interred in the church. The 
family vault received in March, 1810, 
the body of Henry Cavendish, of whom 
it was said by Sir Humphry Davy, 
that, " since the death of Sir Isaac New- 
ton, Englandhas sustained no scientific 
loss so great as that of Cavendish." A 
splendid monument was erected here 
to Elizabeth, the clever and selfish 
Countess of Shrewsbury, during her 
lifetime, and under her own inspec- 
tion : she died in 1607, aged nearly 
90 years. 

Besides the above there are three 



churches of recent erection : the 
church of St. John, in Bridge Street, 
a handsome Gothic building, but in 
an unfavourable situation ; Trinity 
Church, a handsome edifice on the 
London road; and Christ Church, on 
the Normanton road, erected in me- 
mory of Bishop Rider, the late dio- 
cesan. 

Steps have recently been taken for 
the formation of a general cemetery for 
the different parishes of the town, and 
proposals were made that it should 
consist of 10 acres, two-thirds of which 
were to be consecrated, and that the 
consecrated ground should be divided 
from the portion unconsecrated by a 
sunk fence. The present state of the 
churchyards renders it highly inex- 
pedient to delay some such plan as the 
one proposed, and the disputes re- 
specting the line of demarcation serve 
only to remind us of the somewhat 
coarse lines of a French poet, which ad- 
minister a reproof too frequently re- 
quired in the arrangement of affairs of 
this nature. The lines of Pierre Patrix 
have been thus translated : 

I dreamt that, buried in my fellow clay, 

Close by a common beggar's side I lay ; 

But as so mean an object shock'd my pride, 

Thus, like a corpse of consequence, I cried: 

" Scoundrel, begoue ! and henceforth touch me not; 

" More manners learn, and at a distance rot I" 

" How, scoundrel J" with a haughtier tone cried he, 

" Proud lump of earth, I scorn thy words and thee : 

" Here all are equal : here thy lot is mine; 

" This is my rotting place, and that is thine !" 

There are places of worship for dif- 
ferent classes of dissenters, one each 
for Presbyterians, Independents, Par- 
ticular Baptists, Quakers, Unitarians, 



DERBY. 



47 



Roman Catholics, and Swedenbor- 
gians ; two for the General Baptists, 
and five for different classes of Metho- 
dists. 

There are several almshouses found- 
ed by charitable individuals. The 
Countess of Shrewsbury, mentioned 
above, founded an hospital for 8 poor 
men and 4 poor women ; which, al- 
though in good repair, was rebuilt 
about 60 years ago by the Duke of 
Devonshire, and is now called the 
Devonshire Almshouse : the entrance 
to this place is perhaps too handsome 
for a house of charity. Besides the 
above almshouses there are those found- 
ed by Robert Wilmot in 1638, for 6 poor 
men and 4 women, now for 4 poor 
men and 4 women ; Large's Hos- 
pital, founded by Edward Large in 
1709, for 5 clergymen's widows, and 
enriched by subsequent donations. 
Thirteen neat and substantial alms- 
houses have been lately erected from 
the funds of a charity bequeathed 300 
years ago by Mr. Robert Liversage to 
the parish of St. Peter. 

The new town-hall, between the old 
and new markets, is a handsome build- 
ing, with an Ionic portico, on an ele- 
vated basement, through which is the 
i communication between the old and 
i new markets. The county-hall is a 
; large but heavy building of freestone, 
erected in 1660 ; new buildings have 
! been erected behind the county -hall 
1 for holding the assizes and quarter- 
t sessions. The borough-jail, a plain, 
substantial, and convenient building, 
was formerly the county- prison, but 



not admitting the classification of pri- 
soners required by recent acts, it was 
sold by the county to the corporation, 
and a new county- prison, with every 
convenience for classing the prisoners, 
has been erected. In consequence of 
arrangements entered into between 
the county and borough authorities, the 
latter send offenders to the county-jail r 
and the borough-jail has been sold by 
the corporation. The other buildings 
are a theatre, assembly-room, mecha- 
nics' institute, and the infirmary. The 
latter is a handsome edifice, built by 
subscription, and cost 30,000/. It was 
opened in 1810, and has always been un- 
der excellent management, many im- 
provements on the usual arrangements, 
chiefly planned by the late Mr. Strutt, 
having been first adopted here. Venti- 
lation and cleanliness were enforced ; 
the patients were classified, and such 
as were able to leave their beds were 
removed in the day-time to separate 
rooms, instead of remaining in their 
sleeping- wards. There are accommo- 
dations for 80 patients, with separate 
wards for those who have infectious 
disorders. There are also in the town 
" a self-supporting charitable and pa- 
rochial dispensary," a ladies' charity 
for the assistance of poor women dur- 
ing their confinement, and many 
friendly societies or benefit clubs. 

The handsome group of buildings 
represented in the accompanying 
engraving comprises an hotel, the post- 
office, a bank, and a literary in- 
stitution, the latter including a public 
library, news-room, and museum. 



DERBY. 



49 



They present two lines of fa9ade, one 
of 98 feet, towards the corn-market; 
the other of 185 feet, towards the Brook- 
side. The style of architecture is 
Grecian-Ionic, and the deep pannel 
occupying the entire length of the 
centre compartments is filled with 
sculpture representing a portion of 
the Panathenaic procession of the 
same size as the original. 

Derby, in proportion to its size, has 
long maintained a fair literary and 
scientific rank. The novelist Rich- 
ardson was horn here. The Derby 
Philosophical Society for the Promo- 
tion of Scientific Knowledge was hegun 
by Dr. Darwin in 1788 : it still con- 
sists of many members, and possesses 
an extensive and valuable library, a 
collection of fossils, and mathematical 
and philosophical apparatus. 

There are two newspapers published 
in the town, the " Derby Mercury," one 
of the oldest provincial journals in the 
kingdom, and the " Derby Reporter," 
established in 1822. A mechanics' 
institution was established in 1825, 
when 274 individuals gave their names 
as members. The institution is now 
in a flourishing state, the number of 
members being about 800. In De- 
cember, 1839, the number of honorary 
members was 73, senior members 
477, junior members 195 : 14 females 
had availed themselves of the advan- 
tages of the institution. There are 
classes for reading, writing, and 
arithmetic, drawing, music, French, 
and chemistry, and a class meets 
weekly for the purposes of discussing 



literary and scientific subjects. The 
library contains nearly 3000 volumes, 
which are classified with a view of 
forming a distinct division for juvenile 
members, and there is a museum and 
philosophical apparatus. The read- 
ing-room, a comfortable and spacious 
apartment, is open from an early hour 
in the morning to 10 at night: it is 
well lighted, good fires are kept, and 
the table is amply supplied with peri- 
odicals and newspapers. In 1832 spa- 
cious premises were purchased for the 
use of the institution for the sum of 
1500/., and its continued prosperity led 
to the erection of a lecture-hall, the 
first stone of which was laid in 1836 by 
Joseph Strutt, Esq., the president. It 
is an elegant and spacious room, in 
the Grecian style of architecture, 75 
feet long by 40 wide, and 30 feet high, 
and, including the necessary fitting 
up, cost 2,000/., to raise which sum a 
mortgage of 1600/. was effected. The 
hall was opened in 1837 by a public 
dinner, at which Lord Dunfermline, 
then speaker of the House of C ommons, 
presided ; and the Earl of Burlington, 
and many other eminent friends of 
education, were present.' To pay off 
the incumbrance of 1600/. with which 
the institution was now burthened, it 
was resolved to open an exhibition, 
and the gentry and others of the town 
and neighbourhood were solicited for 
the loan of articles for this purpose ; 
400 individuals contributed 5,000 dif- 
ferent objects, including paintings by 
eminent masters, sculpture, porcelain 
of Derby and foreign manufacture, 



50 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



models of various kinds, specimens in 
ornithology, entomology, mineralogy, 
and geology, and an extensive collec- 
tion of curiosities. The managers 
wisely effected an insurance for 15,000/. 
on the property thus liberally com- 
mitted to their charge. The admission 
was fixed at 6d., and tickets for the 18 
weeks during which the exhibition 
was open were sold for 2s. 6d. ; 6000 
catalogues were sold at 6d. each. 
Including the holders of season tickets, 
the number of persons who visited the 
exhibition was 96,000, and the total 
receipts amounted to 2,119/. : the ex- 
penses being 763/., there remained a 
sum of 1,355/. to be applied to the li- 
quidation of the debt. The inmates of 
the almshouses, and of the Union poor- 
house, and the police and military, were 
admitted gratuitously ; and the child- 



ren belonging to the Sunday and charity 
schools of the town and neighbourhood 
on payment of 2d. each. 

Through the noble munificence of 
Joseph Strutt, Esq., the working classes 
of Derby have opportunities of enjoy- 
ment and gratification which perhaps 
no other town in the kingdom affords. 
This excellent and enlightened man, 
observing the rapid increase of the 
population of Derby, and that while 
measures had been from time to time 
adopted for promoting their conveni- 
ence, good order, and instruction, there 
existed no means by which the inhabit- 
ants with their families could take 
exercise and recreation in the fresh air 
in public walks and grounds devoted to 
that purpose, appropriated nearly 11 
acres of land to be laid out in the most 
advantageous manner, and to comprise 




[Lodge of the Arboretum ; the Entrance Gates.] 



DERBY ARBORETUM. 



M 



an extensive collection of 'trees and 
shrubs arranged in such a manner as to 
offer the means of instruction to vi- 
sitors. This piece of land, to which 
Mr. Strutt gave the name of the 
Arboretum, was laid out at the donor's 
expense by J. C. Loudon, Esq., with 
great taste and judgment. Upwards 
of 1,000 trees have been planted, 
beside several thousand evergreens, 
which form the belt of the gardens. 
The gravel walks are 6,070 feet in ex- 
tent. The principal walks are 15 feet 
wide, and the secondary ones 8 feet 
wide. The grounds on either side of 
the walks are thrown up into mounds, 
varying from 6 to 10 feet in height ; 
the easy and elegant forms of which 
are admirably adapted for exhibiting 
the trees and shrubs planted thereon. 
Two lodges have been erected from de- 
signs furnished by Mr. Lamb, of Lon- 
don ; that at the principal entrance is 
situate at the northern extremity of the 
gardens, and is of the Elizabethan 
order ; and the one at the southern end 
of the gardens is of the Tudor archi- 
tecture. Rooms for the use of the public 
are appropriated in each lodge, and 
have been furnished in a very neat and 
substantial manner at Mr. Strutt's ex- 
pense. Mr. Loudon has prepared a 
catalogue of the trees, shrubs, and 
plants for the use of visitors, which is 
at once scientific, poetical, and anec- 
dotical. * By the side of each plant a neat 

* " The Derby Arboretum : containing a Cata- 
logue of the Trees and Shrubs included in it ; a De- 
scription of the Grounds and Directions for their 
Management ; a Copy of the Address delivered when 



brick tally is fixed, the upper part of 
which exhibits under a glass covering 
the species, with other particulars, and 
a number referring to a fuller descrip- 
tion in the catalogue. A copy of 
Loudon's "Arboretum Britannicum" 
is kept in the lodge, to which those who 
desire more ample information may 
refer. Mr. Loudon states that the 
soil of the Arboretum might have 
been prepared, and the trees planted, 
at one-tenth of the expense incurred ; 
and this fact shows the liberal spirit 
with which Mr. Strutt has carried into 
effect every plan connected with his 
munificent gift. The value of the 
Arboretum, including the ground and 
buildings, is estimated at 10,000/. The 
duty of keeping the grounds in order 
devolves upon the public, Mr. Strutt 
wisely conceiving that those who will 
enjoy and profit by the Arboretum 
will take an interest in its perma- 
nence. 

The Arboretum was opened on the 
16th of September, 1840, and the event 
was celebrated by demonstrations in 
which every class of the inhabitants 
of Derby took a part. The day was a 
universal holiday, and processions, ex- 
tending nearly a mile in length, were 
formed by the different Trades' Socie- 



it was presented to the Town Council of Derby by 
its founder, Joseph Strutt, Esq. : and an Account of 
the Ceremonies which took place when it was open- 
ed to the public on September 16th, 1840." By 
J. C. Loudon, F.L.S., H.S. &c. Author of the 
' Arboretum Britannicum,' &c. &c. This very useful 
guide, price Is., is sold, for the benefit of the Arbo- 
retum, by the Curator. 

E 2 



52 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 




[Lodge of the Arboretum, showing the public Room.] 



ties and public "bodies accompanied "by 
banners, streamers, and music. On 
this day 6,000 persons were assembled 
in the Arboretum, many of whom 
were young and full of animal spirits, 
but not a single shrub or plant was 
injured. Dancing, in which large 
numbers participated, was enjoyed in a 
field near the Arboretum to the music 
of a well-appointed band. A ball took 
place at night in the lecture-room of 
the Mechanics' Institution, and there 
were seldom less than 200 couples 
dancing at the same time. Two days 
afterwards the opening of the Arbore- 
tum was celebrated by the children, and 
several thousands were admitted to the 



gardens. An adjacent field was set 
apart for dancing and games of various 
kinds, and tea was provided in a large 
pavilion. 

The Arboretum is to be " open to 
all classes of the public without pay- 
ment (and subject only to such restric- 
tions and regulations as may be found 
necessary for the observance of order 
and decorum) on every Sunday, and 
also on one other day in every week, 
from sunrise to sunset ; except that it 
shall never be open earlier than 6 
o'clock in the morning, nor later than 9 
in the evening, and that it shall be 
closed between 10 and 1 o'clock on 
Sundays." It is under the management 



DERBY ARBORETUM. 



53 




[One of the Pavilions forming the Terminations to the Cross Walks : style of James I.] 



of the mayor for the time "being and 6 
other gentlemen, 4 of whom must be 
members of the Town Council. 

The Derby grammar-school is sup- 
posed to be one of the most ancient 
foundations of the sort in the kingdom. 
It was founded in the reign of Henry II., 
and is free for sons of burgesses only. 
Flamsteed, the astronomer, received 
his early education in this school. The 

, income is stated by the Charity Com- 
missioners to amount to 34/. 18s. Sd., and 
the number of free scholars at the time 
of the inquiry to be generally about 2 ; 

! but it is again getting into repute. In 

' 1833 there were 26 day-schools in the 
town, at which instruction was given 

• to about 1,400 children of both sexes. 
Of this number 2 were on the " national 



system," 1 on the Lancasterian system, 
and 3 were infant-schools. The num- 
ber of Sunday-schools was 24, and in 
these 3,198 children were instructed. 
Lending libraries were attached to 
some of the Sunday-schools ; and in 
several writing and arithmetic were 
taught on the week-day evenings. 

The principal manufactures of 
Derby are silk and cotton goods, 
porcelain, jewellery, and ornamental 
artieles made of the various kinds of 
spar found in the county, red and 
white lead, lead-pipe, sheet-lead, cast- 
iron, ribbed stockings, bobbin-net, and 
other lace. There is a considerable 
printing and publishing establishment, 
and several printing-offices. 

In the early part of the eighteenth 



51 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



century the Italians exclusively pos- 
sessed the art of spinning, or, as it is 
technically called, " throwing" silk, 
and the British weaver had to import 
thrown silk at an exorbitant price. In 
1702 a Mr. Crochet erected a small 
silk-mill ; hut his capital and machi- 
nery were insufficient, and he failed. 
In 1717 Mr. John Lombe, who had in 
disguise, and by bribing the workmen, 
obtained access to the machinery of 
the silk-throwsters of Piedmont in 
Italy, agreed with the corporation of 
Derby to rent, on a long lease, for 8/. 



a-year, an island or swamp in the river 
Derwent, 500 feet long and 52 wide. 
Here he erected, at a cost of 30,000/., 
an immense silk-mill, now the pro- 
perty of the corporation, the lease 
having expired. The foundation was 
formed with oaken piles 16 to 20 feet 
long, and over this mass of timber was 
laid a foundation of stone on which 
were turned stone arches that support 
the walls. In 1718 Lombe took out a 
patent, and was proceeding success- 
fully in his business when he died, cut 
off, as it was thought, by poison, 




4 ^^f^X:^ 



4 [Sir Thomas Lombe's Silk-mill : Derby.] 



DERBY MANUFACTURES. 



55 



through the agency of an Italian 
woman, employed by the Italian ma- 
nufacturers whose business he had 
drawn away to himself. He was suc- 
ceeded in his mill by his brother 
William, and afterwards by his cousin 
Sir Thomas Lombe. The accounts of 
the machinery of this immense mill 
have been much exaggerated : the 
wheels have been said to amount to 
26,000 ; Hutton's authority is the best, 
for he served his apprenticeship of 
7 years in the mill, and he reduces 
these wheels to 13,384. The whole was 
moved by one water-wheel. Many 
throwing- mills have since been erected 
at Derby, and this branch of industry 
may be regarded as the staple of the 
town ; but the old mill must continue 
to be regarded with peculiar interest, 
as the first establishment of the kind 
erected in this country. The cotton 
manufacture is of later introduction 
and of smaller extent : it was in this 
town that Arkwright first succeeded 
in weaving calicoes in 1773. There are 
many stocking-frames at Derby, the 
manufacture having been introduced 
j about the time that Lombe erected 
| his silk-mill. The manufacture of 
\ porcelain was introduced a century 
ago ; and the articles, both in design 
and execution, have been carried 
to a high pitch of excellence : the 
making of figures and ornaments in 
what is termed " biscuit ware" was 
for some time peculiar to this town, 
and we believe is so still. The spars of 
the county, especially the fluor spar or 



" blue John," are wrought into vases 
and other ornaments, and the black 
marble of Ashford into vases, columns, 
chimney-pieces, &c. These spar and 
marble-works were for some time 
carried on in the building erected 
by Crochet in the year 1702 for his 
silk throwing-mill ; the turning-lathes 
were set in motion by a water-wheel. 

The population of Derby in 1831 
was 23,607 ; in 1821 it was 17,423 ; 
and in 1811, 13,043, being an increase 
of 35 per cent, in 10 years, and of 
nearly 81 per cent, in 20 years ; an 
extraordinary advance, as the number 
of inhabitants for some centuries had 
been stated at pretty nearly 8,000, with- 
out much variation. We shall not be 
far wrong in estimating the present 
population at 30,000. 

Derby returns two members to par- 
liament. The number of parliament- 
ary electors registered in 1832 was 
1384, viz. : 372 freemen, and 1012 
ten-pound occupiers. In 1839-40 the 
number of borough electors was 1820, 
of whom 1370 were occupiers of houses 
rated at 10/. and upwards, 445 free- 
men, and 111 possessed of joint qua- 
lifications, including all who were 
registered for more than one quali- 
fication. Derby is also the chief 
place of election, and one of the poll- 
ing stations for the southern divi- 
sion of Derbyshire. The assizes for 
the county are held here, and the Epi- 
phany, Easter, and Michaelmas ses- 
sions ; the Midsummer sessions are 
held at Chesterfield. The borough 



56 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



sessions of the peace are held quarterly 
before the Recorder ; a petty sessions 
is held daily. There are courts of 
Record and of Requests for the bo- 
rough. The principal market is on 



Friday. A cattle market is held once 
a fortnight on Tuesday. There are nine 
fairs in the year for cattle, cheese, 
pedlery, &c, which are, for the most 
part, well attended. 



57 



CHAPTEE IV. 



EXCURSIONS IN THE VICINITY OF DERBY. 



Before leaving Derby, it may be 
useful to point out the roads which 
connect it. with the other parts of the 
county. 

To Derby from the South. 

1. The Midland Counties Railway 
from Rugby. 2. The railway from 
Birmingham to Derby. 3. The high 
road from London to Manchester, 
through Loughborough, which crosses 
the Trent and enters Derbyshire about 
7 miles from Derby, passing through 
Shardlow and Elvaston. 4. The great 
road connecting the west and east of 
England, and the towns of Birming- 
ham and Sheffield, passes through Lich- 
field and Burton-upon-Trent, crosses 
the Grand Trunk Canal, and the river 
Dove, and enters Derbyshire 8 miles 
from Derby, proceeding through Little 
Over : part of this road was the an- 
cient Ryknield Street. 5. The road 
from Ashby-de-la-Zouch and the ad- 
jacent parts of Leicestershire enters 
Derbyshire about 15 miles from the 
county town, and after crossing the 
Trent, passes through Swarkstone and 
Osmaston. The bridge over the Trent 
; at Swarkstone is of great length. The 
span of the river is 138 yards, but it 



being necessary to carry the bridge 
over the low grounds, its total length is 
1304 yards. 

From Derby, Northward. 

1. The North Midland Railway to 
Leeds by Belper, Amber Gate, and 
Chesterfield. Amber Gate, 10^ miles 
from Derby, is the key to Matlock and 
the valley of the Derwent. 2. The 
railway from Derby to Nottingham. 
3. The turnpike road to Nottingham, 
16 miles, passes through Chaddesden, 
Borrowash, Risley, and Sandiacre, and 
enters Nottinghamshire after crossing 
the Erewash Canal and the river of 
the same name, about 10 miles from 
Derby. 4. The road to Uttoxeter, 16 
miles, passes through Mickleover, 
Etwall, Hilton, Sudbury, and Dove- 
ridge, crossing the Dove and entering 
Staffordshire about 1 J mile north-west 
of Uttoxeter. 5. To Ashbourn and 
Buxton. The road from Derby to the 
former town passes through Mack- 
worth, King's Langley, and Brails- 
ford. Two miles from Ashbourn, a 
branch of this road crosses the Dove 
and enters Staffordshire, passing 
through Leek, Macclesfield, and Stock- 
port, to Manchester ; another branch 



53 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



proceeding to Buxton. 6. To Ches- 
terfield and Sheffield through Allestree 
and Duffield ; and another road to the 
same places through Alfreton. 7. To 
Mansfield, 22 miles, through Little 
Chester, Morley, Smalley, andlleanor, 
the road crossing the Erewash about 
1J mile from the latter place, where 
it enters the county of Nottingham 
midway between Derby and Mans- 
field. 

We are now prepared to take our de- 
parture from Derby, and to visit places 
of interest in its neighbourhood, what- 
ever may be the direction in which 
they are to be found. The railways 
running on each side of the county 
south of Derby will afford facilities for 
reaching the whole of that part of 
Derbyshire ; and the railway to Not- 
tingham is equally available for places 
to the eastward. 

To proceed to the western side of 
South Derbyshire, we take our places 
in a train on the Derby and Birming- 
ham Railway. Thehamletof Osmaston, 
which is in the parish of St. Wer- 
burgh, Derby, is visible on the right 
about half a mile after leaving the 
station. Osmaston Hall, the residence 
of Mr. Fox, of Derby, was formerly 
the seat of the Wilmot family, and 
was erected at the end of the seven- 
teenth century : the north front is 217 
feet in length. The village of Little 
Chester, in the parish of St. Alkmund's, 
Derby, is next visible on the left. It 
is the site of the Roman station Der- 
ventio, and numerous remains of that 
people have been discovered in the 



vicinity. The church spire of Nor- 
manton is visible on the right, and 
the valley of the Dove soon opens upon 
the view. Passing the Trent and Mer- 
sey Canal by an oblique iron bridge, 
the village of Findern appears on the 
right, soon after which we reach the 
Willington Station, 6f miles from 
Derby. Here we may alight, and shall 
find several places in the vicinity 
worthy of a visit. 

The railway, the river Trent, the 
Trent and Mersey Canal, and the 
Derby road intersect the village, the 
railway dividing it into two equal por- 
tions. The latter is here carried 
along an embankment which over- 
looks the village, to which we descend 
by a flight of steps. Willington church 
is an ancient structure dedicated to 
St. Michael. 

On the left of the station, about a 
mile distant, is the village of Repton, 
situated on a declivity overlooking the 
Trent, and near a small stream which 
flows into the Trent. It is one of the 
most ancient places in the county, and 
is supposed to have been the Roman 
station Repandunum. There was a 
nunnery here before the seventh cen- 
tury, at which many of the Mercian 
kings were interred, but the institution 
was destroyed by the Danes ; and after 
the Conquest a priory of black canons 
was established on its site. Repton, 
with the adjacent village of Gresley 
give their names to the hundred. The 
church is dedicated to St. Wyston. 
and is remarkable for its elegant spire, 
188 feet high. The chancel is more 



EXCURSIONS IN THE VICINITY OF DERBY. 



5& 



ancient than the other parts of the 
building, and underneath is a crypt 
supported by Saxon pillars, and con- 
taining vaults for the sepulture of 
saints or other eminent persons. The 
nave and aisles appear from their 
style to have been built in the four- 
teenth century. After the Reform- 
ation the priory and its possessions 
passed into lay hands, and the priory 
church was pulled down in the reign 
of Mary, under the apprehension that 
" if the nest were not destroyed, the 
birds might settle there again." The 
foundations of the priory buildings 
may be traced in various directions, 
and the refectory is now used for the 
grammar school. This school was 
founded and richly endowed by Sir 
John Porte in 1556, and at the same 
time he charged his estates with the 
support of an hospital at Etwall. The 
rental of these estates now amounts to 
2500/. a-year, and the school, in which 
several eminent men have received 
their education, is in high repute. 
The Marquis of Hastings and the Earl 
of Chesterfield are hereditary gover- 
nors, and in conjunction with others 
elect the master and under-masters. 

Foremark Hall, the seat of Sir Fran- 
cis Burdett, is about 3 miles to the 
left of the station and about 2J miles 
east of Repton on the banks of the 
Trent. It was erected about the year 
1760 by Sir Robert Burdett, on the 
site of a more ancient mansion, and is 
a spacious and handsome edifice, with 
a double flight of steps on the north 
and south fronts. The scenery is di- 



versified by gentle eminences, which 
gradually subside into rich meadows 
on approaching the banks of the Trent. 
The estate of Foremark came into the 
possession of the present family by 
marriage in 1607. In a direction 
north-east of the mansion, about a 
quarter of a mile distant, the tame 
scenery of the low meadows is broken 
by an outlying mass of grit-stone rock. 
Knowle Hills, which are well wooded, 
afford some pleasing views of the 
adjacent country and the windings of 
the Trent. The village of Foremark, 
with its small parish church, is situated 
near the mansion. 

Melbourne Hall, the seat of Viscount 
Melbourne, is about 3 miles east of 
Foremark, the road from Ashby-de- 
la-Zouch to Derby running midway 
between the two places. Melbourne 
has been but rarely occupied by its 
noble owners, their principal coun- 
try residence being Brocket Hall, 
Herts. The church is a fine specimen 
of the Norman architecture of the 
twelfth century, and contains several 
monuments of the family of Lamb, 
and a curious font resembling a basin 
with four legs. The living is in the 
gift of the bishops of Carlisle, who had 
formerly a palace here. Forty years 
ago, the remains of the ancient castle 
were still visible : it was dismantled 
about the middle of the fifteenth cen- 
tury, but Leland speaks of it as being 
in tolerable repair in his time, a cen- 
tury later. The parish of Melbourne 
contained in 1831 a population exceed- 
ing 2000. There are places of worship 



60 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



for the Baptists, Independents, Wes- 
leyan Methodists, and the sect called 
Jerusalemites. 

Donnington Park, the seat of the 
Marquis of Hastings, is about 2J miles 
north-east of Melbourne ; but as it is 
principally situated in Leicestershire, 
a description of it will be given in 
another volume. 

From Melbourne Hall we may pro- 
ceed to Calke Abbey, less than 2 miles 
distant. This is a spacious mansion, 
enclosing a quadrangular court, and is 
the residence of Sir George Crewe. 
A convent of Augustine canons was 
founded here in the twelfth century. 
A branch of the Leicester and Swan- 
nington Railway is carried along the 
eastern side of Calke Park, and termi- 
nates at the village of Ticknall, in the 
vicinity of which there are extensive 
lime-works. This railway is used 
chiefly for the distribution of limestone 
and coal. 

From Calke Abbey to Bradby Park, 
the seat of the Earl of Chesterfield, is 
about 4 miles. Here stood a fine old 
mansion with gardens, terraces, statues, 
and fountains in the style of Versailles, 
which was pulled down by the late 
earl between 60 and 70 years ago. 
The present house was built at the 
beginning of this century. The 
house is shown to visitors. The road 
from Ashby to Burton-upon- Trent 
bounds the park on the south ; and the 
latter place is only 3 miles distant. 
At Burton we may again take the 
railway, either to return to Derby 
or to proceed to the next station, at 



Walton-on-Trent, about 4 miles from 
Burton. 

We must, however, again visit the 
Willington Station, for the purpose of 
noticing several places on the right, 
having in the excursion just completed 
confined ourselves to the country on 
the left of the railway. The first vil- 
lage which we reach is Eggington, 
about 2 miles from the Willington 
Station. In 1644 the Royalists and 
Parliamentarians fought on Egging- 
ton Heath, when the latter, it is said, 
were defeated and driven across the 
Trent. Eggington Hall is the seat of 
the Every family. 

About 2h miles north of Eggington 
is the road from Derby to Uttoxeter, 
which we join at Hilton, 7 miles from 
Derby. From this point the road is 
parallel to the course of the river 
Dove, which is on the right. We pass 
the villages of Marston and Scropton, 
situated on the banks of the Dove. 
Between these two places there is a 
road branching off to Tutbury, on the 
opposite side of the Dove, in Stafford- 
shire, soon after which we reach Sud- 
bury, the seat of Lord Vernon. The 
manor was held for four centuries by 
the Montgomery family, and in the 
reign of Henry VIII. it passed by 
marriage to Sir John Vernon, son of 
Sir Henry Vernon, of Haddon Hall. 
The mansion was built at the com- 
mencement of the seventeenth century, 
and is a well-proportioned edifice 
of red brick with two wings. Some 
of the apartments are handsome, and 
a gallery runs through the house. 



EXCURSIONS IN THE VICINITY OF DERBY. 



61 



The church of Sudbury stands within 
the grounds, and is a very picturesque 
object, being luxuriantly mantled with 
ivy. It contains many monuments of 
the Vernons. Sudbury Hall is occu- 
pied by the Queen Dowager, who 
has taken it for a short period dur- 
ing Lord Vernon's absence abroad. 
Leaving Sudbury w r e reach the village 
of Doveridge, about 2 miles distant, 
and soon afterwards, crossing the river 
Dove, enter Staffordshire ; Uttoxeter 
is little more than a mile from the 
edge of the county. 

Starting from the railway station at 
Willington, we proceed to Burton- 
upon-Trent, passing on the left the 
village of Newton Solney, and the man- 
sion of Newton Park, which is in the 
castellated style. Near this place, a 
little to the left of the railway, the 
Dove flows into the Trent. The station 
at Burton, as before stated, is not more 
than 3 miles from Bradby Park, but 
having already visited that place we 
pass on to the Walton-upon- Trent Sta- 
tion, 4 miles from Burton. There is 
a bridge across the Trent at the village 
of Walton. Walton Hall is the resi- 
dence of one of the Gisborne family, 
Drakelow Hall, the seat of the Gresley 
family, situated on the banks of the 
Trent, is within 3 miles of the station, 
which is the key to the remaining por- 
tion of the county ; which, however, 
contains nothing particularly requir- 
ing notice. 

Should the tourist be disposed to 
visit that part of the county east of 
Derby, the railway to Nottingham 



will afford him every facility, as the 
stations are at short distances from 
each other. Starting from the great 
central station at Derby, the village of 
Chaddesden is passed on the left, and we 
reach in a few minutes the Spondon 
Station, which is only 4 miles from 
Derby. A church existed here before 
the Conquest, and there is an ancient 
tombstone in the churchyard, supposed 
to be Saxon. The present edifice is 
an interesting specimen of the style of 
the fourteenth century. The village is 
very pleasantly situated, and com- 
mands a fine view T of the vale of Der- 
went. Dale Abbey is about 3 miles 
from the station on the left; it was 
originally founded in the reign of 
Henry II., and re- founded in 1204 
for Premonstratensian canons, and at 
the dissolution had a clear yearly reve- 
nue of 144£. ; the only existing remains 
of the building are the arch of the east 
window of the church, and some por- 
tions are to be seen in the house and 
out-buildings, which occupy the site 
of the abbey buildings. On the right 
of the Spondon Station is the village of 
Alvaston, situated on the Derwent. 

The Borrowash Station is but a short 
distance from the one at Spondon. 
Elvaston Castle, the seat of the Earl 
of Harrington, about one mile to the 
right, has been recently built in the 
Gothic style. The church contains 
monuments to the Stanhope family : 
a costly monument to the memory of 
Sir John Stanhope, who died in 1610, 
was destroyed in 1643 by the Parlia- 
mentarians. Sir John Gell, at whose 



62 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



instigation this outrage is stated to have 
been committed, afterwards married 
Sir John Stanhope's widow. In the vil- 
lage of Ockbrook, 1 mile from Borrow- 
ash, the Moravians have a large esta- 
blishment. Hopwell Hall, occupying 
a commanding eminence, which affords 
some good views of the adjacent coun- 
try, is to the right of Ockbrook. 

The Sawley Station is the next on 
the line, and is 6 J miles from Derby. 
The village, which is about a mile 
from the station on the right, had 
formerly a market, granted to it by 
Bishop Long Espee in 1258, and a fair 
for three days at Michaelmas. The 
Long Eaton Station is 9J miles from 
Derby, and 6J from Nottingham. 
Near this place the railway assumes 
a triangular form, the base being a 
continuation of the line between Derby 
and Nottingham, the trains from each 
place entering the main line to Leices- 
ter and Rugby by the sides of the 
triangle. Soon after leaving the Long 
Eaton Station, we cross the river 
Erewash, and enter Nottinghamshire, 
there being one intervening station, 
at Beeston, between this point and 
Nottingham. 

The road from Derby to Mansfield 
passes through the village of Morley. 
The church, which was erected about 
the close of the fourteenth century, has 
some painted windows which are said 
to have been removed from Dale Ab- 
bey, and it also contains several good 
monuments. The Earl of Morley 
takes his title from the village. Hea- 
nor, formerly a market -town, is situ- 



ated on the same road near the borders 
of Nottinghamshire. The parish is 
extensive, and contains the townships 
of Heanor, Codnor, and Losco, Ship- 
ley, and Codnor Castle and Park Li- 
berty, the latter being extra- parochial. 
The population of the parish was 5,380 
in 1831. Heanor is well situated for 
trade, the Erewash Canal passing 
through the parish, and the neighbour- 
ing district having many coal-pits. 
There are manufactories for cotton 
goods, hosiery, and bobbin-net lace* 
The education returns for 1833 com- 
prehended 12 day-schools and 5 Sun- 
day-schools. There are Independent, 
Particular Baptist, and Wesley an Me- 
thodist meeting-houses in the parish. 

At the distance of between 3 and 
4 miles from Heanor is Ilkeston, situ- 
ated on a cross-road in the valley of 
the Erewash. The parish contains 
a population of 4446, a considerable 
portion of whom are engaged in manu- 
factures or in the coal-pits in the 
neighbourhood. The church has a 
stone screen in the early English 
style of architecture, and three stalls 
in the chancel. The principal manu- 
factures are of stockings and lace. A 
warm mineral spring, the properties of 
which are said to differ from those of all 
others in the kingdom, and to resem- 
ble those of the Seltzer water, has been 
lately discovered and is coming ra- 
pidly into repute. The water taken 
internally, and the baths, have been 
found efficacious in many complaints. 
The Erewash and Nutbrook canals 
both pass through the parish. 






EXCURSIONS IN THE VICINITY OF DERBY. 



63 



Kedleston, the magnificent seat of 
Lord Scarsdale, is about 4 miles from 
Derby, on the road to Winster and 
Wirksworth. The house is situated on 
a gentle declivity, and consists of a 
centre and two wings connected by 
corridors of the Doric order, the length 
of the whole being 360 feet. A double 
flight of steps leads to a grand portico 
supported by six Corinthian columns, 
38 feet high and 3 feet in diameter. 
Over the pediment are statues of 
Venus, Bacchus, and Ceres ; and with- 
in the portico are several other statues. 
The south or garden front is after the 
arch of Constantine at Rome. The 
ordinary entrance for visitors, be- 
neath the portico at the basement or 
rustic story, opens into a spacious 
apartment called Caesar's Hall, con- 
taining busts of the Caesars. The 
visitor passes from it to the Grand 
Hall, the most magnificent part of the 
house, in the style of the Greek halls, 
and which is 67 feet by 42 feet. It is 
lighted by 3 sky-lights and supported 
by 20 columns of alabaster, variegated 
with red, 25 feet high, and surmounted 
by capitals of white marble. The 
materials for these columns are from 
the quarries at Elvaston. There are 
12 niches in the hall, each containing 
casts from the antique, and above them 
are a series of chiaro-oscuro paintings, 
the subjects of which are taken from 
Homer. The other principal rooms 
shown to visitors are the Music Room, 
36 feet by 24, and 22 feet high ; the 
Drawing Room, 44 feet by 28, and 28 
feet high ; the Library, 36 feet by 24, 
and 22 feet high ; the Saloon, a very 



magnificent circular apartment, 42 
feet in diameter, 24 feet to the cornice, 
55 feet to the top of the cupola, and 62 
feet to the extremity of the sky-light 
in the dome. There is a noble kitchen 
in the western pavilion 48 feet by 24, 
over the chimney-piece of which we 
may read the excellent maxim, — 
" Waste not, want not." The private 
apartments are in the eastern wing. 
We have not space to enumerate the 
numerous splendid works of art which 
the visitor will have the gratification 
of viewing in the public apartments, 
but must be content with stating that 
amongst them are the productions of 
upwards of thirty of the most distin- 
guished masters of the Italian, Flemish, 
Spanish, French, and English schools 
of art. Hutton remarks, in his 
"History of Derby," that "perhaps 
200,000/. lie under this spacious roof, 
consequently Lord Scarsdale sits at 
the rent of 10,000/. a year," and this 
sum he calculated was at that time 
(1791) equal to two-thirds of the ren- 
tal of all the houses in Derby. 

The park lodge is from the arch of 
Octavia, and the grounds, which are 
very extensive, being 5 miles in cir- 
cumference, contain flourishing plan- 
tations and much fine timber. There 
is a neat building in the park erected 
over a mineral spring which is regarded 
very efficacious in scorbutic diseases. 
The temperature of the spring is about 
47°. The church contains numerous 
monuments of the Curzon family ; 
amongst others is one by Rysbach, of 
Sir Nathaniel Curzon. 



64 



CHAPTER V. 



EXCURSION ON THE NORTH MIDLAND RAILWAY.* 



The North Midland Railway, as we 
have "before observed, is by far the 
most important line of communication 
in Derbyshire, and we shall now notice 
the places through which it passes, and 
the roads by which other places at a 
distance from the railway are con- 
nected with it. In April, 1841, several 
new stations were appointed on the line, 
and they are now so numerous as to 
afford the greatest facility to the tourist. 
Soon after leaving the station at Der- 
by we cross the canal and the river Der- 
went, and pass along the valley through 
the parishes of Breadsall and Allestree. 
The views soon become picturesque, 
the hills on either side of the valley 
swelling into eminences of consider- 
able height. Again crossing the Der- 
went, the village of Duffield is next 
seen, the railway passing near the 
church, which is on the right. The 

DUFFIELD STATION 

is 5J miles from Derby. Robert de 
Ferrers, the second earl of Derby, 
having rebelled, his castle at Duffield 
was demolished by Edward II. in 1325. 
The Derwent is again crossed after 
leaving Duffield, and soon after pass- 
ing the village of Milford, where the 

# The table of distances on the line is given at p. 35. 



Messrs. Strutt have erected cotton 
mills, we pass through the Milford 
tunnel, about half a mile long, and 
once more crossing the Derwent we 
reach the 

BELPER STATION. 

Belper is on the east bank of the 
Derwent, 8 miles north of Derby. It 
is a township and chapelry in the 
parish of Duffield, in Appletree hun- 
dred. The prosperity of Belper is of 
modern date, and is to be principally 
ascribed to the cotton- works of Messrs. 
Strutt, in whose establishments the 
capabilities of the factory system to 
sustain a population in a high state of 
health and superior elevation of cha- 
racter are fully demonstrated. These 
mills were visited in 1832 by Her 
Majesty and- the Duchess of Kent. 
Belper is now one of the most flou- 
rishing towns in Derbyshire. The 
older buildings form a very insignifi- 
cant portion of the place, which con- 
sists chiefly of more modern and better 
erections. New buildings with neat 
exteriors, flower-gardens, orchards, 
and plantations are fast spreading over 
the rising grounds about the town ; 
and on the opposite side of the Derwent 
is Bridge Hill, the seat of G. B. Strutt, 



BELPER TO AMBER GATE. 



C5 



Esq. Gritstone, which the neighbour- 
hood furnishes of excellent quality, 
is much used in building. The an- 
cient chapel, dedicated to St. John, 
being too small for the increased 
population of the place, a new church 
has been erected at an expense of 
nearly 12,000/., defrayed partly by 
subscription and partly by a grant 
from the commissioners for building 
new churches. It stands on a bold 
elevation above the town, and from 
its situation and architecture, which is 
of the florid English style, is a great 
ornament to the place. It will accom- 
modate 1500 persons, besides 300 
children ; and two -thirds of the sit- 
tings are free. The ancient chapel is 
still used for evening lectures and for 
a school-room. There are places of 
worship for Unitarians (built in 1782, 
chiefly at the expense of Messrs. 
Strutt), Independents, General and 
Particular Baptists, and Wesleyan and 
Primitive Methodists. There is a 
stone bridge of three arches over the 
Derwent, near which the river being 
dammed by a pier assumes the appear- 
ance of a lake. The population of the 
chapelry of Belper in 1831 was 7890 ; 
half the males above 20 years of age 
are employed in manufactures. The 
chief establishments are those of 
Messrs. Strutt, who have four cotton- 
mills ; and of Messrs. Ward, Brettle, 
; and Ward, the most extensive hosiery 
manufacturers in the kingdom : they 
i make both silk and cotton hose. The 
i manufacture of nails, though thought 
to be declining, ' is still considerable. 



There is an earthenware manufactory. 
Seams of coal are worked with advan- 
tage about a mile from Belper. The 
market is on Saturday. Many of the 
tradesmen hold some land, and other 
persons, whose principal occupation 
is in trade or manufacture, are also 
partially occupied in agriculture. 

There are two neat almshouses for 
aged people, with a small endowment. 
There is a Mechanics' Library at Bel- 
per, and several of the Sunday-schools 
have lending libraries attached to 
them. 

There are roads from Belper to the 
following places : — 

Ashbourn, 8 miles ; Wirksworth, 6 
miles ; Matlock, along the valley of 
the Derwent, 9 miles ; and post-horses 
may be had at one of the inns. The 
road from Derby to Chesterfield and 
Sheffield passes through Belper, but 
all the coaches on this road are now 
discontinued. 

The railway twice crosses the Der- 
went soon after leaving the Belper 
Station ; then a second tunnel is passed 
through, and for the seventh and last 
time we cross the beautiful river 
which forms the companion of the rail- 
way from Derby, immediately after 
which another short tunnel occurs, and 
we reach the 

AMBER GATE STATION ; 

which might however with more pro- 
priety be called the Matlock Station, 
the present name being merely derived 
from a toll-gate close to the station on 
the turnpike road. Here the river 

F 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



Amber, which rises beyond Northedge, 
near Wingerworth, falls into the 
Derwent. 

Matlock is 6 miles from the station, 
by a road which passes through the 
picturesque vale of Derwent ; Crom- 
ford is 5 miles ; Wirksworth between 
5 and 6; Buxton. 22 ; and Crich 2. 
An omnibus from Matlock and a 
coach from Buxton meet the principal 
trains, and post-horses may be had 
at the inn which has been erected near 
the station. 

Wirksworth is the capital of the lead- 
mine district, and is situated in a val- 
ley, nearly surrounded by hills, on the 
southern edge of that district. It is 
a place of great antiquity, giving its 



name to the wapentake, the other 
divisions of the county being called 
hundreds. Roman coins and other 
relics have been discovered in the 
vicinity of the town. The lead-mines 
afford the chief means of employment, 
but there are cotton, hosiery, hat, and 
some other manufactories in the neigh- 
bourhood. The customs of the Bar- 
mote courts for determining disputes 
between the miners and offences 
against their ancient laws have already 
been noticed. The Barmote courts 
are held twice a-year in a handsome 
stone building, built in 1814, at the ex- 
pense of the Duchy of Lancaster ; and 
here is deposited the ancient brass dish 
used as a standard for measuring the 




[Miners' Standard Dish.] 



ore. The manor and wapentake of 
Wirksworth belong to the crown, and 
the dean of Lincoln possesses manorial 
rights which attach to the church. The 
vicar is entitled by custom to every 
fortieth dish (of fourteen pints) of lead 
ore raised in the parish. The town is 
governed by a constable and head- 
borough, and is lighted with gas. The 



weekly markets were obtained in 1307 
by Thomas, earl of Lancaster, grand- 
son to Henry III. The church is a 
handsome Gothic structure, of the 
fourteenth century, and consists of 
a nave and side aisles, a north and south 
transept, a chancel, and a square tower 
in the centre. There are some inter- 
esting monuments and tombs, one of 



WIRKSWORTH TO WINSTER. 



67 



Anthony Gell, who founded the 
school and almshouses 15S3, and one of 
Sir John Gell, the Parliamentary Gene- 
ral, 1671 ; also one of Anthony Lowe, 
who served Henry VII. Henry VIII. 
Edward VI. and Queen Mary. The 
grammar-school founded by Anthony 
Gell has long been in a neglected state. 
In 1830 there were not 10 scholars 
receiving benefit from it, the head 
master having engrossed the duties of 
• the classical and English department 
which had formerly been held by two 
individuals. They have been subse- 
quently divided, but the emoluments 
are still unfairly distributed. The 
school-house was rebuilt about 15 years 
ago, and is capable of containing 200 
boys. There are places of worship for 
Baptists, Independents, and Method- 
ists. At Hopton, in this parish, was 
the ancient seat of the Gells, but it was 
pulled down at the close of the last 
century, and a neat modern mansion 
erected. Hopton is famous for its 
stone quarries. The road called the 
Via Gellia to Matlock passes through 
a highly picturesque valley. The old 
road from Derby and Duffield to Mat- 
lock passes through Wirksworth ; also 
the road from Ashbourn to the same 
place ; likewise a road to Vrinster, and 
another which joins the road from 
Ashbourn to Buxton. 

Cromford is a market-town, town- 
ship, and chapelry in the parish of 
"Wirksworth, chiefly on the north 
bank of the Derwent. It is in a deep 
valley, enclosed on the north, south, 
and west by lofty limestone rocks. 



Cromford, like Belper, owes its pros- 
perity to the cotton manufacture. The 
late Sir Richard Arkwright erected 
here a spacious cotton-mill on the 
north side of the Derwent ; it is now 
occupied by Messrs. R. and P. Ark- 
wright, who employ in these mills and 
those at Masson, a little higher up the 
Derwent, 800 persons. The houses 
and mills are chiefly built of gritstone. 
The church is a plain building, begun 
by the late Sir R. Arkwright and 
finished by his son ; there was a more 
ancient chapel, but it has been demo- 
lished many years. 

The population of Cromford, in 
1831, was 1291. Lead-mines are worked 
in the neighbourhood ; lapis calami- 
naris is ground and prepared, and red 
lead manufactured. The Cromford 
Canal terminates here ; and the Crom- 
ford and High Peak Railway joins the 
canal a short distance south of the 
town. The land in the township 
chiefly belongs to R. Arkwright, Esq. ; 
every man employed at the mills 
capable of purchasing a cow has a piece 
of land sufficient to maintain it allotted 
to him. The market is on Saturday, 
and there are two fairs in the year. The 
education returns for 1833 give 1 
infant school, 2 day-schools, 2 day and 
Sunday-schools, partly supported by P. 
Arkwright, Esq. Mr. Arkwright has 
built two new school-rooms since 1833. 
There is a Methodist chapel ; and there 
are alms-houses for six poor widows. 

Winster is a market-town and cha- 
pelry in the parish of Youlgreave, and 
is 4 miles north-west of Wirksworth. 
f 2 



68 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



The houses are built of limestone, and 
partly thatched and partly covered with 
stone : they are intermingled with or- 
chards and gardens. The market is on 
Saturday. The population of the cha- 
pelry in 1831 was 951 : that of the whole 
parish (which is large) was 3681 : the 
inhabitants are chiefly engaged in 
mining. The church at Youlgreave 
presents a mixture of the Norman and 
English styles. A school for the edu- 
cation of children was founded by 
subscription in 1765, and in 1824 the 
Duke of Rutland built a house for the 
master. There are several barrows on 
the commons in the neighbourhood 
of Winster ; in one which was opened 
in 1768 several antiquities were found. 
Matlock will be noticed in a subse- 
quent chapter. Returning towards 
the station we have Crich on the left. 
It is a market-town and parish, situa- 
ted between the rivers Amber and 
Derwent, on the road from Alfreton 
to Wirksworth, 5 miles west of Alfre- 
ton and 5 east of Wirksworth, and 
about 12 miles north from Derby. The 
town is built on a considerable lime- 
■stone hill that overlooks all the emi- 
nences round it. The church, which 
forms a very conspicuous object, has a 
very tall spire. On a cliffnear the village 
is a circular tower of modern erection, 
from which an extensive and beautiful 
prospect is obtained. The parish is 
divided into three townships: Crich, 
Wessington, and Tansley, and com- 
prises 6180 acres, and 3087 inhabitants. 
The inhabitants of the township of 
Crich are chiefly engaged in working 



the lead-mines, in getting limestone, 
which is excellent both for agriculture 
and building, and burning it to lime. 
There is a branch railway from Crich 
to the North Midland Railway near 
the Amber Station and the Cromford 
Canal, where the kilns are situated at 
which the lime is burnt. The stocking 
manufacture is also carried on in and 
around Crich. There was anciently a 
market at Crich ; but it had been discon- 
tinued. In the middle of the last cen- 
tury an attempt was made to revive it, 
but the attempt failed ; in 1810 it was 
re-opened, and is still held. It is on 
Thursday, but is not much resorted to. 
There are two fairs in the year for 
cattle, pedlers' wares, &c. 

There are places of worship in the 
parish for Wesleyan and Primitive 
Methodists and General Baptists. The 
parish contained in 1833, 11 day-schools 
and 5 Sunday-schools. 

On the right of the Amber Gate Sta- 
tion are Heage and Pentridge, both 
considerable villages, the former 
within 2 miles south-east and the latter 
about 2 miles north-east of the station. 
The Cromford Canal crosses the line of 
the North Midland Railway by an 
aqueduct about half a mile from the 
station ; and the road to Crich is car- 
ried under the railway and passes 
over the Amber at the same place, the 
river, road, railway, and canal being 
one over the other. The Railway 
Company were liable to be heavily 
mulcted for every hour during which 
the navigation of the canal was im- 
peded, and it was thought that the 



AMBER GATE TO WINF1ELD. 



69 



proprietors of the canal would have 
received a very handsome sum, but so 
far from this being the case, the canal 
was not obstructed for a single day ; 
the large iron tank for the aqueduct 
being floated from the Codnor Park 
iron-works into its proper place with 
the greatest ease. The Cromford 
Canal joins the Ere wash Canal about 5 
miles east from this point, passing 
through a district containing coal- 
mines and iron- works. The Butterly 
iron-works, established in 1793, are 
near the canal, about 3 miles from the 
station ; and those at Codnor are in the 
same vicinity. There is a railway 
between these iron-works ; also one 
from the neighbourhood of Codnor, 
which joins the Derby Canal at Little 
Eaton. In the reign of Henry III. 
Richard de Grey possessed a castle at 
Codnor, which belonged to his heirs 
the Barons Grey, of Codnor, until the 
reign of Henry VII. It was inhabited 
at the commencement of the last cen- 
tury, but is now in ruins. 

Soon after leaving the Amber Gate 
Station the railway passes through a 
short tunnel and is then carried along 
the beautiful valley of the Amber, 
which stream it several times crosses. 
The distance to the next stopping 
place on the line is only 3^ miles, and 
we therefore quickly reach the 

WINFIELD STATION. 

Numerous small villages make use 
of this station, amongst which are 
Morton, distant 3 miles from the sta- 
tion ; Shirland 2 miles; Pentrich 2; 



Swan wick 3 ; Butterly 3 ; and Codnor 
Park 4 : these are eastward of the 
line. On the west are Winfield £ a 
mile distant ; Crich 3 ; Wessington 2 ; 
Ashover 6. An omnibus to Alfreton, 
2 miles distant, waits the arrival of the 
principal trains, and it may be as well 
to state that the high fare is owing to 
two toll-gates being placed between 
the railway and the town. In the 
summer season there is a daily con- 
veyance from Mansfield to the rail- 
way station, a distance of 11 miles, but 
in winter the communication is not 
so frequent. 

Alfreton is an ancient market-town. 
The houses are irregularly built and 
some of them very old ; the church, a 
rude ancient structure, has an embat- 
tled tower with pinnacles. The popu- 
lation of the parish, which in 1831 
amounted to 5691, are engaged in the 
manufacture of stockings, in coarse 
cottons, in earthenware, and in the 
neighbouring collieries. At Biddings, 
within a short distance of Alfreton, are 
considerable iron-works belonging to 
Mr. Okes. The weekly market is on 
Friday, and is chiefly for grain ; and 
there are two fairs, one in July, and the 
other in November, the latter a statute 
fair. The living is a vicarage in the gift 
of the Morewood family, whose seat we 
pass in coming from the railway sta- 
tion. Alfreton being situated on the 
high road between Birmingham and 
Sheffield, there were numerous coaches 
passing through it daily, which have 
all been removed since the opening of 
the railway. There are two good inns 



70 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



in the town, at which post-horses may 
be obtained. 

The first object of attraction to the 
west of the station is Winfield Manor 
House, the ruins of which are observed 
in passing along the line. They occupy 
a commanding eminence within less 
than a mile from the station, the village 
church of Winfield being situated mid- 
way between them. The road winds 
up the hill and passes through the 
village, but there is a foot-path across 
the fields, which gradually becomes 
steeper as we approach the manor 



yews 



house. Passing some ancient 
which once ornamented the grounds 
and now serve to render their aspect 
more solemn, we enter the south court. 
Blore, the antiquary, who wrote a 
good history of South Winfield, says : — 
" The building consists of two square 
courts, one of which to the north has 
been built on all sides, and the south 
side of it forms the north side of the 
south court, which has also ranges of 
buildings on the east and west sides 
and on parts of the south : the latter 
court seems principally to have con- 







[North side of the Quadrangle of Winfield Manor House.] 



WINFIELD TO TUPTON. 



7L 



sisted of offices. The first entrance is 
under an arched gateway, on the east 
side of the south court : the communi- 
cation hence with the inner court is 
under an arched gateway in the middle 
of the north side of the south court." 
The mansion was castellated and em- 
battled, and on the only side by which 
it is not approached by an ascent, it 
appears to have been strengthened by 
a moat ; but, as Blore remarks, it " was 
one of the earliest instances of those 
noble quadrangular mansions which 
succeeded the irregular piles of mixed 
building that were the first deviations 
from the gloomy uncomfortableness of 
castles." It was built by Ralph Lord 
Cromwell, Lord High Treasurer to 
Henry VI. (1422-1461.) At each 
angle of the principal court there is a 
tower, that at the south-west being 
higher than the others. Many of the 
windows are pointed, and there are 
open-work ornaments below the battle- 
ments. The dimensions of the great 
hall are 72 feet by 36, and underneath 
is a cellar of nearly the same size, with 
a groined roof supported by a double 
row of pillars. The hall and the great- 
er part of the building are roofless 
and exposed to the elements. A part 
of the ruins is occupied by a farm- 
house, and other parts are used for sta- 
bles, &c. The manor came into the 
possession of the Earls of Shrewsbury 
by purchase, and now belongs to the 
family of Halton, one of whom, a man 
of some scientific attainments in the 
seventeenth century, is buried in the 
village church. Mary Queen of Scots 



was some time at Winfield manor- 
house under the care of the Earl of 
Shrewsbury. 

During the civil wars the manor- 
house was at first garrisoned by the 
Parliamentary party, but in 1643 it was 
taken by the Royalists. Again it fell 
into the hands of the Parliament, being 
taken by storm by the soldiers under 
Sir John Gell, when Col. Dalby, the 
governor, was killed in the conflict. 
In 1646 the Parliament ordered it to 
be dismantled, and it was further 
dilapidated and despoiled under less 
excusable circumstances, a modern 
mansion near the manor-house having 
been partly erected out of the old 
materials. 

The road through Winfield leads to 
Wirksworth, via Crich. 

On leaving the Winfield Station the 
railway still pursues the valley of the 
Amber, passing the villages of Nor- 
manton, Blacky,* ell, Shirland, Tibshelf, 
and Morton at some distance on the 
right, and Ashover on the left. At a 
distance of 3J miles from Winfield is 
the 

SMITHY MOOR STATION. 

The river Rother, which rises in this 
neighbourhood and flows into the Don 
at Rotherham, runs near the 

TUPTON STATION, 

which is 2J miles from the Station at 
Smithy Moor. Before reaching Tup- 
ton the railway passes through the 
Clay Cross Tunnel, by far the most 
important work on the line, being 1J 
mile in length. At Tupton the main 



72 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



line is joined by two short branches, the 
one to the right leading from collieries 
at Williamsthorp and that on the left to 
the extensive colliery at Tupton be- 
longing to the Winger worth Coal 
Company, who have a bed of coal com- 
prising an area of between 4 and 5 
square miles. This coal closely re- 
sembles that of the Durham and New- 
castle coal-field, and the facilities which 
the railways offer have induced the 
undertakers to commence their opera- 
tions with a view of supplying the Lon- 
don market, the absence of economical 
means of transport having previously 
rendered it hopeless to compete with 
the sea-borne coal in the metropolis. 
This is one of the many benefits which 
railways may confer if the directors act 
in a spirit of liberality. The collieries 
of Mr. Stephenson are near the north- 
ern end of the tunnel. They are on an 
extensive scale, and the combined 
operations of the Tupton and Clay 
Cross Companies will probably pro- 
duce an impression upon the London 
market in the course of two or three 
years. In 1840 the quantity of inland 
coal supplied to the metropolis had 
increased from 1685 tons in 1838, to 
22,000 tons. Near the Tupton Station 
is Wingerworth Hall, the seat of the 
Hunlokes, an ancient Catholic family, 
created Baronets in 1642. Winger- 
worth Hall was garrisoned for the 
Parliament in 1643, but the present 
mansion was built on the old site in 
1728. 

Hardwick Hall is about 4 miles east 
of the Tupton Station. This mansion 



is a most interesting specimen of the 
style of domestic architecture in Eli- 
zabeth's reign. Perhaps of all the 
surviving monuments of the period, 
Hardwick is the most interesting, 
from the intact state in which J the 
building has remained since the days 
that it was tenanted by its eccentric 
foundress the Countess of Shrewsbury 
— " Bess of Hardwick," — not less cele- 
brated by her passion for building than 
for her masculine spirit. It belongs 
to the Duke of Devonshire, and in the 
sixteenth century was the dower of 
Elizabeth, sister and heiress of John 
Hardwick, of Hardwick, Esq. This 
lady married first Sir William Caven- 
dish and lastly the Earl of Shrewsbury, 
having had four husbands. Hutton 
remarks that "she saw the end of four 
husbands, procured a dowry from each, 
was immensely rich, performed many 
works of charity and magnificence, 
continued a widow 17 years, and died 
in 1607 in extreme age." 

Hardwick stands on the brow of a 
bold and commanding eminence over- 
looking a vale of great beauty, beyond 
which extends a picturesque landscape 
bounded by the distant eminences of 
the Peak. The Devonshire Arms, one 
of those quiet places which a tourist 
always rejoices to find, half inn and 
half farm-house, is at the foot of the 
hill. The ascent is steep, and on the 
crest of the ridge is the fine old baro- 
nial residence which has been aban- 
doned since the erection of the present 
hall. The state-room, generally called 
the Giants' Chamber, was of magnifi- 



CHESTERFIELD. 



73 



cent dimensions ; but the whole pile is 
now only a splendid ruin luxuriantly 
mantled with ivy. In the reign of 
Henry VII. it was the residence of the 
Hardwick family. 

Not many yards from the old 
building we enter a square garden of 
some extent, enclosed by a wall and 
laid out in flower parterres. Abroad 
pavement leads through the centre to 
the piazza, beneath which is the en- 
trance to the great hall, wainscoted 
with oak and having a gallery at one 
end. It contains a statue of Mary 
Queen of Scots. The north staircase 
leads to the chapel, which is hung with 
tapestry representing subjects taken 
from Scripture, the chairs, cushions, &c. 
exhibiting specimens of fancy needle- 
work of the sixteenth century. The 
dining- aoom is a spacious apartment, 
wainscoted with dark coloured oak, and 
contains several portraits. The draw- 
ing-room is ornamented with tapestry, 
the subject of which is the story of 
Esther. The state-room is 65 feet by 
33 feet, and 26 feet in height. The pic- 
ture gallery is of magnificent dimen- 
sions, being above 160 feet long, 22 
wide, and 26 feet high. It is lighted by 
18 large windows which are 20 feet high, 
each forming a capacious recess. There 
are nearly 200 portraits in this gallery, 
the most interesting being those of 
" Bess of Hardwick," Queen Elizabeth, 
Lady Jane Grey, Mary Queen of Scots, 
Cardinal Pole, Bishop Gardener, Sir 
Thomas More, Sir William Cavendish, 
created Earl of Devonshire, and 
William, the first Duke, and one of 



Hobbes, the philosopher. The C ountess 
of Shrewsbury is represented at two 
periods of her long life. The earliest 
is a full-length portrait in the double 
ruff and close black dress of her day, 
with long sleeves turned up at the wrist 
and small pointed white cuffs, and a fan 
in her hand. A chain of five rows of 
pearls hangs below the waist. The other 
portrait is a half-length, representing 
this remarkable woman at a more 
advanced period of life, the features 
indicating sharpness and energy. The 
bed-rooms convey a good idea of the 
cold stateliness of the times. The fur- 
niture is in many instances older than 
the house, and was removed from the 
old hall. Some of the needle-work is 
said to have employed the fair hands 
of the Queen of Scots, but the older 
mansion was the place of her melan- 
choly captivity. 

Hardwick is in the parish of Ault 
Hucknall, and Hobbes, the philosopher, 
who resided with his pupil, the Duke 
of Devonshire, at Chatsworth, is 
buried in the church. 

From the Tupton Station the line of 
the railway is parallel to the road from 
Derby to Chesterfield, the latter place 
being within 4 miles of Tupton. 

Chesterfield is a municipal bo- 
rough and market town. The parish 
contains several chapelries, hamlets, 
and townships, has an area of 13,160 
acres, with, in 1831, a population of 
10,688, which is an increase of 1498 on 
the census of 1821. This is attributed 
principally to an increase of collieries 
and iron-works. The population of 



74 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 




& rate 1 A I fi% 







CHESTERFIELD. 



75 



the borough of Chesterfield in 1801 
was 4267; in 1811, 4476; in 1821, 
5077; in 1831, 5775. Two rivulets, 
the Hyper and Rother, run past the 
town. 

Chesterfield is conjectured, from its 
name, to have been a Roman station. 
At the Norman survey it was an insig- 
nificant place. The town received 
various privileges from King John, 
but was not incorporated till the reign 
of Elizabeth. Under the Municipal 
Corporations Act, it is governed by 
4 aldermen and 12 councillors, but is 
not divided into wards. The limits of 
the borough are co-extensive with the 
township, which is about four miles in 
circumference. The Easter quarter 
sessions for the county are held at 
Chesterfield ; and it is the centre of a 
Union for the management of the 
poor. The weekly market, which is 
numerously attended, is held on Satur- 
day, but there is a want of accom- 
modation for the public, who are ex- 
posed to the inclemencies of the wea- 
ther. There are several fairs in the 
year. The appearance of the town 
is not very prepossessing, and it has 
a dingy air. The town is lighted 
under an act passed in 1825. In and 
near the town there are silk, lace, and 
pipe-manufactories, potteries, iron- 
founder ies, and collieries. 

There were in 1835, 26 daily and 
Sunday-schools in the town. A gram- 
mar or free-school, founded in the 
reign of Elizabeth, and formerly well 
attended, has been closed since 1832. 
It was under the management of the 



corporation. There are various public 
and benevolent institutions, a literary 
and philosophical society, a mechanics' 
institute (established in 1841), and two 
weekly newspapers are published in 
the town. 

The Chesterfield Canal, which com- 
mences in the tideway of the Trent, 
after a course of 46 miles, terminates 
at Chesterfield. This canal was planned 
by Brindley. It has 65 locks, and is 
carried through 2 tunnels, one of which 
is 2850 yards long. 

Chesterfield Church, erected dur- 
ing the thirteenth century, is a beau- 
tiful and spacious edifice. The ground 
plan is in the form of a single cross ; and 
at the intersection of the two arms arises 
a well-proportioned and elegant square 
tower, surrounded by a plain simple 
parapet, bearing at each angle an octa- 
gonal pinnacle surmounted by a rod 
and weather-vane. On this tower is 
placed the spire, which, but for its 
crookedness, would be thought of very 
just proportions. It rises to the height 
of 230 feet, exclusive of the rod which 
bears the weathercock ; and is built of 
timber, and covered with lead in such 
a manner as to divide each octagonal 
side into two distinct and channelled 
planes, giving it altogether a singular 
and, indeed, a unique appearance. Its 
dark colour, however, and the want of 
brackets to break the outline, add an 
appearance of heaviness to the general 
effect, which is utterly at variance with 
the other parts of the building. 

The interior of the church consists 
of a nave, two aisles, a transept, and 



76 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



chancel. Its length from east to west is 
168 feet 9 inches, breadth of the body 
59 feet 6 inches, and length of the 
transept from north to south 109 feet 
6 inches. It has been newly paved, 
and is at present about to be re- 
pewed. 

Whoever enters the town, either from 
the north or the south, will be struck 
with the singular appearance of the 
spire, which, instead of being perpen- 
dicular, is evidently much bent towards 
the west. It is singular that almost 
every writer who has had occasion to 
mention Chesterfield has called this 
appearance an optical deception, aris- 
ing from the twisted form of the leaden 
planes which cover its surface. Even 
Mr. Rickman, in his work on ' Gothic 
Architecture,' says,— "The apparent 
leaning of the spire arises partly from 
the curious spiral mode of putting on 
the lead, and partly from an inclination 
of the general lines of the wood-work 
of the spire/' But had he walked out of 
the town to the eastward or to the 
westward, he would have seen this 
crooked spire assume a perfectly per- 
pendicular appearance, for in one case 
the bulging, and in the other the hollow, 
part of the steeple would be towards 
him, and consequently the crookedness 
would be lost; or, had he ventured 
to mount the tower, and walk round 
the base of the spire, he would have 
seen on the south, or rather at the 
south-western angle, the ball at the 
summit almost vertical to his head, 
while on the opposite side the same 
ball would be hidden from the sight by 



the swelling of the middle of the spire. 
These observations would at once have 
proved the fact, that this curious stee- 
ple is not apparently but really crooked. 
To place its real crookedness beyond 
a doubt, the situation of the ball was 
subjected to a careful measurement 
some years since, when it was found 
to deviate from the perpendicular 6 
feet towards the south and 4 feet 4 
inches towards the west, giving its 
greatest angle of inclination somewhere 
near to the south-west angle. Perhaps 
this crookedness may be the result of 
accident, the effect of lightning, for 
example ; but no record exists of any 
such casualty having occurred to the 
edifice. 

The Chesterfield Station is a very 
handsome edifice, as indeed are all the 
stations on the North Midland Rail- 
way. It is about a quarter of a mile 
on the east of the town, and omni- 
buses attend the arrival and departure 
of the trains. 

Bolsover Castle, about 6 miles 
due east of Chesterfield, through the 
small villages of Calow and Duck- 
manton, is an unfinished mansion, 
erected in the early part of the 
seventeenth century, on the site of an 
ancient castle erected soon after the 
Conquest by the family of Peveril. 
In 1215 it was seized by the disaffected 
barons. In the reign of Edward VI. 
it was granted by the crown to the 
Earls of Shrewsbury, who, in 1613, 
sold it to Sir Charles Cavendish; 
afterwards it came into the possession 
of the Dukes of Xewcastle, and subse- 



BOLSOVER CASTLE. 



77 




[Bolsover Castle.] 



quently, by the marriage of a daughter, 
it passed into the hands of the Ben- 
tincks, and at present belongs to the 
Duke of Portland. The old castle was 
in ruins in Leland's time (sixteenth 
century), and no vestige of it now 
remains. The edifice now called the 
Castle stands on the bleak brow of a 
commanding eminence overlooking a 
wide extent of country. It was begun 
by Sir Charles Cavendish, who appears 
to have removed on the occasion what 
remained of the old castle. It has a 



castellated appearance, being in fact 
a square, lofty, and embattled structure 
of brown stone, with a tower at each 
angle, of which that at the north-east 
angle is much higher and larger than 
any of the others. A flight of steps 
on the east side leads through a passage 
to the hall (the roof of which is sup- 
ported by stone pillars), and thence 
to the only room designed for habit- 
ation on this floor. This apartment, 
called the " Pillar Parlour," is 21 
feet square, and has an arched ceiling, 



7S 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



which is supported in the centre by a 
circular pillar, around which the 
dining-table is placed. Above stairs 
there is a large room, about 45 feet 
by 30, called the " Star-chamber," but 
most of the other rooms are small. 
They contain a few portraits, but the 
rooms are more particularly interest- 
ing from the taste with which they 
have been furnished by the Rev. 
Hamilton Gray, the present occupant 
of the castle. The furniture is in the 
style of the seventeenth century, and 
everything has been done to give the 
character and air of that period to the 
apartments. In some of the rooms 
most frequently occupied, the quaint 
and old-fashioned style of the furni- 
ture of the seventeenth century is 
adapted to the drawing-room luxuries 
of the present day. To the classic taste 
and high refinement of Mr. Hamilton 
Gray, and his no less accomplished 
lady (authoress of a work on the ' Se- 
pulchres of Etruria), the visitor will 
be indebted for a sight of the valuable 
collection of Etruscan vases, Roman 
antiquities, models of ancient temples, 
&c, the beauty and interest of which 
can only be fully appreciated by 
persons of highly-cultivated taste and 
classic acquirements. The floor of 
most of the rooms is of stone or plaster. 
The residence of the family of Ca- 
vendish was probably in the magni- 
ficent range of ruined apartments 
which extend to the west of the struc- 
ture we have mentioned, and of which 
only the outside walls are now standing. 
In front of this mansion there was a 



fine terrace, from which a magnificent 
flight of steps led to the entrance. 
The gallery in this fine range of apart- 
ments was 200 feet in length by 22 in 
width ; the dining-room 78 feet by 32 ; 
the drawing-rooms — one, 39 feet ; the 
other 36 feet by 33. They were built 
before the civil wars of the seventeenth 
century, or there would have been 
no room at Bolsover for the grand 
entertainment given by the Earl of 
Newcastle (such was then his rank) 
to King Charles, with the court, 
and " all the gentry of the county." 
The earl had previously entertained 
the king at Bolsover in 1633, when he 
went to Scotland to be crowned. The 
dinner on this occasion cost 4000/. ; 
and Clarendon speaks of it as "such 
an excess of feasting as had scarce 
ever been known in England before." 
In the early part of the civil war 
the castle was garrisoned for the king, 
but was taken in 1644 by General 
Crawford, who is said to have found 
it well manned and fortified with 
great guns and strong works. During 
the sequestration of the Marquis of 
Newcastle's estates, Bolsover Castle 
suffered much, both in its buildings 
and furniture, and was to have been de- 
molished for the sake of the materials, 
had it not been purchased by Sir 
Charles Cavendish for his brother. 
The noble owner repaired the build- 
ings after the Restoration, and occa- 
sionally made the place his residence. 

The village of Bolsover is plea- 
santly situated, together with the castle, 
upon a point projecting into a valley 



DRONFIELD. 



79 



which surrounds it on every side except 
the nor th-east. The inhabitants (includ- 
ing the township of Gapwell) amounted 
to 1429 in 1831, and are chiefly em- 
ployed in agriculture. The parish 
church has portions of its architecture 
in the Norman style, intermixed with 
the later English and some more 
modern additions. There were for- 
merly traces of a Danish earth-work 
at Bolsover. 

At Elmton, a village about 3 miles 
north-east of Bolsover, Jedediah Bux- 
ton was born, about the year 1705. His 
grandfather had been clergyman of 
the parish, and his father was school- 
master of the same place ; but Jedediah 
was so illiterate that he could not even 
write, and his mental faculties, with 
one exception, were of a low order. 
He possessed, however, remarkable fa- 
cility in performing arithmetical cal- 
culations ; and when he fairly under- 
stood a problem, which it was not 
easy for him to do if it was a little 
complicated, he solved it with wonder- 
ful rapidity. He was altogether in- 
capable of looking into the relations 
of things, except with respect to the 
number of parts of which they were 
composed. After hearing a sermon 
he knew nothing more of it than that 
it contained a certain number of words, 
which he had counted during its de- 
livery. If a period of time were 
mentioned, he began calculating the 
number of minutes which it included ; 
and if the size of any object were 
described, he would at once compute 
how many hair's-breadths it contained. 



His ideas were comparatively childish ; 
and his mind was only stored with a 
few constants which facilitated his 
calculations ; such as the number of 
minutes in a year, and of hair's- 
breadths in a mile. His system of 
mental arithmetic was not founded 
upon any sound principles ; in fact he 
could scarcely be said to have a system. 
He would, for instance, in order to 
ascertain the product of 478 multiplied 
by 100, proceed first to multiply it by 
5 and then by 20, instead of at once 
adding a couple of ciphers. His con- 
dition in life appears to have been 
either that of a small land-owner or a 
day-labourer ; but probably the former. 

On the west of Chesterfield are 
Buxton, 24 miles ; Chapel-en-le-Frith, 
through Tideswell, the same distance ; 
Bakewell, 12 miles ; and Chatsworth 
House, 10. On the south-east is 
Mansfield, 12 miles ; on the north-east 
Worksop, 16 miles, both in Notting- 
hamshire; and Sheffield is 12 miles 
North. Chesterfield is in fact the 
centre of the road communications of 
North Derbyshire. Thus on the south 
are the roads from Derby and Alfreton ; 
on the south-east the road from Mans- 
field ; on the south-west the roads 
from Winster and Matlock ; on the 
west those from Buxton, Chapel-en- 
le-Frith, Bakewell, Tideswell, and 
Castleton ; on the north-east the road 
from Worksop ; on the north that from 
Sheffield. 

The road from Chesterfield to Shef- 
field passes through Dronfield, a mar- 
ket-town about 5i miles from the 



80 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



former and 6£ from the latter. The 
parish is extensive, containing 15,580 
acres, or more than 24 square miles. 
It contains, besides Dronfield town 
(population 1653 in 1831), the town- 
ships of Little Barlow, Coal Aston, and 
Unstone ; the chapelries of Holmsfield 
and Dore, and the hamlet of Totley ; 
the population of the whole parish was 
3974. The parish church is situated 
on a hill on one side of the town. Tt 
has a fine tower and spire, chiefly in 
the decorated English style. The 
chancel has been very fine ; it contains 
three rich stone stalls, the foliage of 
which is very beautiful ; but the large 
east window has been deprived of its 
tracery. There are meeting-houses 
for Quakers, We'sleyans, and Inde- 
pendents. 

There are some manufactures car- 
ried on at Dronfield, chiefly of iron 
goods, as cast-iron chains, nails, axes, 
chisels, and other edge-tools, com- 
mon cutlery, and agricultural imple- 
ments. The market is on Thursday, 
but is almost disused. There is a well- 
endowed free-school for 60 boys and 
20 girls. The dependent districts of 
the parish have some manufactures 
similar to those of the town itself. 
Dore (which appears to include Tot- 
ley) is a perpetual curacy of the yearly 
value of 90/., in the gift of Earl Fitz- 
william ; Holmsfield is also a perpe- 
tual curacy of the yearly value of 97/., 
with a glebe-house. 

Beauchief Abbey is just within the 
boundary of Derbyshire, in a pleasant 
vale on the left of the road. It was 



founded in 1183, for Premonstraten- 
sian or White Canons, by Robert Fitz 
Ranulph, lord of Alfreton, said to 
have been one of the murderers of 
Thomas a Becket, in expiation of 
whose murder the abbey was built, 
and to whom, when canonized, it was 
dedicated. Its yearly revenues, at the 
dissolution, were 157/. 10s. 2d. gross, 
or 126/. 3s. 4d. clear. The only part 
of the abbey now remaining is the west 
end of the conventual church, which 
is used as the chapel of the extra- 
parochial district of Beauchief. The 
architecture is plain, but the situation 
amidst woods and hills delightful. Dr. 
Pegge denies that Beauchief Abbey 
was erected in expiation of Beckers 
death, or that Fitz Ranulph had any 
connexion with that deed. 

The country is very beautiful as we 
approach Sheffield. The nearest high 
lands are covered with lofty woods, 
beyond which are the distant moor- 
lands extending westward. On the 
eastward are gently-rising grounds 
enclosed and cultivated, and north- 
ward appears the populous town of 
Sheffield. We enter Yorkshire at 
Heeley Bridge, over the River Sheaf, 
about a mile from Sheffield. 

The most expeditious mode of 
reaching Sheffield, from most parts of 
Derbyshire, is to travel by the North 
Midland Railway to Rotherham, and 
then take the railway from that town to 
Sheffield. 

We shall now return to the Chester- 
field Station, on leaving which the 
course of the railway is nearly due 



WHITTINGTON AND ECKINGTON. 



81 



north for rather more than 2 miles, 
but on approaching the village of 
Whittington it bends in a direction 
almost due east towards Staveley, when 
it again assumes its northerly course. 
The railway, as well as the Chester- 
field Canal, pursue the course of the 
Rother Valley ; but a little beyond 
Staveley the former makes a deviation 
from this line, passing, by means of a 
tunnel, through a ridge which separates 
the Rother from an affluent which has 
its rise in Hardwick Park. 

Whittington is a small village about 
a mile on the left between the railway 
and the Sheffield road. On Whitting- 
ton Moor was a public-house, called 
the Revolution House, from its having 
been the place where the Earl of 
Danby (afterwards Duke of Leeds), 
the Earl (afterwards Duke) of Devon- 
shire, and other friends of liberty, as- 
sembled to concert measures for effect- 
ing the Revolution of 1688. The 
moor was to have been their place of 
meeting, but a storm coming on, they 
repaired to a public-house then called 
the " Cock and Pynot" (Magpie). The 
centenary of the Revolution was cele- 
brated here in 1788. The church 
contains a monument of Dr. Samuel 
Pegge, the antiquary, who was 45 
years rector of the parish. 

The eastern bend which the railway 
takes brings us near the village of 
Staveley, and to the 

STAVELEY STATION, 

3| miles from Chesterfield. Here and 
in the neighbourhood are many coal- 



mines and extensive iron-works. The 
Chesterfield Canal passes through the 
village ; there are tram-roads from 
the collieries ; and everywhere are 
the sighs of a spirit of active indus- 
try. After passing through a tunnel, 
and proceeding a short distance close 
to the River Rother, we perceive 
Renishaw Hall, the seat of Sir George 
Sitweil, Bart., and immediately reach 

[THE ECKINGTON STATION. 

This station is 6J miles from Chester- 
field, and about 1J from the village of 
Eckington, which is on the left. The 
parish is extensive, and contained a 
population of 4000 in 1831, distri- 
buted in four townships. The manu- 
facture of scythes, sickles, and other 
hardware is carried on in the parish. 
Renishaw Hall is about J a mile from 
the station. The principal road con- 
nected with the Eckington Station is 
that from Sheffield to Worksop, the 
former 8 miles distant, and the latter 
about 10. Barlborough Hall, 2 
miles east of the station, is situated close 
to this road. The mansion is in the 
Elizabethan style, and is very plea- 
santly situated in a deer-park. 

We are now about to conclude 
our railway trip, for at Beighton, 3f 
from the Eckington Station, and 38f 
miles from Leeds, the railway crosses 
the River Rother by a very large and 
substantial bridge, and enters York- 
shire. The present station at Beighton 
is a temporary wooden edifice. At 
Woodhouse Mill,nearly due east from 
Sheffield, and 1J mile from Beighton, 



82 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



there is also a station. If there were 
not a railway already in existence 
between Sheffield and Rotherham, 
the station at Woodhouse Mill would 
connect Sheffield with the North 
Midland line rather more conveni- 
ently than any other point, espe- 
cially for all persons travelling to or 
from the south. At present the dis- 
tance of 11 or 12 miles by railway 
from Beighton or Woodhouse Mill to 
Sheffield, via Rotherham, maybe more 
expeditiously performed than by stop- 
ping at either of the first-mentioned 
places, and proceeding direct to Shef- 
field by the turnpike road, a distance 



of 6 miles. The Sheffield and Rother- 
ham Railway is not only a feeder of 
the North Midland line, but enjoys 
the advantages of a very active in- 
dependent traffic between the two 
towns ; but a railway line from Wood- 
house Mill to Sheffield would have no 
such advantage, and would scarcely 
be profitable as a mere connecting 
link with the North Midland line, with 
little or no local traffic of its own. The 
Rotherham Station is therefore the 
one at which the traveller from the 
south, who intends to visit Sheffield, 
will find it most convenient to leave 
the line. 



83 



CHAPTER VI. 



MATLOCK. 



The tourist whose destination is Mat- 
lock will leave the North Midland 
Railway at the Amber Gate Station, 
which is 10^ miles from Derby and 
13^ from Chesterfield. We have be- 
fore mentioned that omnibuses run 
in connexion with the principal trains, 
and that post-horses may be had at the 
new inn erected near the station. The 
road to Matlock from Amber Gate is 
at once wild and picturesque, pass- 
ing through the valley of the Derwent, 
the sides of which are in some cases 
rugged and precipitous, and in others 
clothed with verdure, and crowned to 
the summit with the oak, the birch, 
and other trees : the prevailing charac- 
ter of the scene is, however, wild ; and 
the traveller who has been accustomed 
to the q uiet and gentle scenery of the 
southern counties will soon become 
delighted with the new features which 
the country here begins to present, and 
which, on the Heights of Abraham and 
Masson becoming visible, assume a 
grandeur to which he has', been unac- 
customed. The fine situation of Wil- 
lersley Castle, the seat of Richard 
Arkwright, Esq., will call forth his ad- 
miration. Here the valley appears 
rich and smiling ; the river and the 
Cromford Canal wind through the vale, 



and the prospect is bounded by the 
distant eminences of the Peak. The 
Tor is just seen, and after passing the 
High Peak Railway we soon reach the 
entrance to Matlock Dale. 

" Matlock Dale," says Mr. Jewitt, 
in a little work called the ■ Matlock 
Companion,' "is naturally a deep, nar- 
row ravine, how produced, or by what 
convulsion, must be left to geologists 
to determine. One side is formed by 
lofty perpendicular limestone rocks, 
the other by the sloping sides of giant 
mountains ; along the bottom runs the 
Derwent, sometimes pent up in a nar- 
row channel, and obstructed by the 
fragments which have, from time to 
time, fallen from the beetling Tor, and 
sometimes spreading like a lucid lake, 
and reflecting as a mirror the beauti- 
ful but softened tints of the overhang- 
ing foliage." The High Tor* is a 
huge rock, which rises almost perpen- 



* The word tor is a Saxon one, from whence, ac- 
cording to the etymologists, comes our word 
tower. The Latin turris, the Saxon tor, and the 
English tower, appear to be related in their signi- 
fication, meaning, in their original sense, something 
erected on an eminence. We have preserved the 
syllable tor, as we have many other words which 
are of what are termed Cimbro-Celtic and Teutonic 
or Gothic origin, in the names of many places 
of Britain. 

g2 



84 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 




[Matlock High Tor.] 



dicularly from the Derwent to a height 
of upwards of 400 feet. The lower 
part is covered with foliage, hut the 
upper part presents a broad bold front 
of grey limestone. It forms a part of 
the chain of rocks which bounds the 
river on the east, and from its superior 
height and boldness is one of the most 
remarkable of the objects of Matlock 
Dale, and is distinguished for its effect, 
even in the midst of scenery, all of 
which is celebrated for its picturesque 
beauty. On the opposite sid c is 



Masson, a rock or mountain of greater 
elevation than the Tor, but inferior to 
it as a striking and picturesque object. 
Matlock Village and Bath are situ- 
ated in the dale, which extends for 
2 miles north and south, and is bounded 
on each side by steep rocks, whose naked 
sides rise to the height of about 300 feet, 
having their summits sometimes bare 
and sometimes covered with wood. The 
High Tor and Masson tower above 
the rest. The Derwent flows through 
the dale, and its banks are lined with 



MATLOCK VILLAGE AND BATH. 



85 






trees, except where the rocks approach 
and rise almost perpendicularly from 
the water. Matlock is well known as 
one of our English favourite summer 
resorts for invalids and idlers, as well 
as of those who go, for recreation or 
information, to see the wonders of the 
Peak of Derbyshire,— the rocks, mines, 
and caverns, and other mountainous 
scenery of that truly singular and 
interesting region. The mineral 
springs and scenery of Matlock have 
created a pleasant village, composed 
of inns, lodging-houses, and bathing 
establishments. The Matlock waters 
were brought into notice towards the 
close of the seventeenth century, when 
a bath was paved and built. Mr. Bray, 
who made a tour in Derbyshire about 
60 years ago, states that at Matlock he 
saw a man whose grandfather worked 
at the first building over the Old Bath, 
" and no carriage had then ever passed 
through the dale, — indeed none could 
have passed, the rocks at that time 
extending too near the edge of the 
river." De Foe describes Matlock 
Dale as almost inaccessible in his time, 
from the want of a good road. In his 
* Tour [through England,' he says, 
"This bath would be much more fre- 
quented than it is if a sad stony, moun- 
tainous road which leads to it, and no 
accommodation when you get there, 
did not hinder." More recently it was 
praised for its retirement and seclusion, 
but the road from London to Manchester 
being carried through it, brought the 
place more into notice and a much 
larger accession of visitors than it 



could otherwise have received. For 
some years the company visiting the 
Baths were chiefly from Liverpool 
and Manchester. The railway will 
effect a still greater change, and the 
beauties of Matlock will become im- 
pressed upon the minds of thousands 
who, but for the facilities of rapid tra- 
velling, would be compelled to pass 
their few days of relaxation nearer 
home. 

The discovery of new springs led 
to the formation of other baths, and 
Matlock now ranks with other fashion- 
able and well-frequented watering- 
places. The waters have a tempera- 
ture of about 66° or 6S° Fahrenheit. 
They differ from those of Buxton, and 
are about 14° lower ; their properties 
resembling the Bristol waters, and, like 
them, they are useful in bilious dis- 
orders, in phthisis, diabetes, and other 
complaints. The usual time for drink- 
ing the waters and for bathing is before 
breakfast, or between breakfast and 
dinner. The price of a bath varies 
from Is. to 2s. 6d. 

The village of Matlock Bath stands 
in the centre of Matlock Dale, and 
occupies parts of the surrounding 
heights, but, except on the Museum 
Parade, there is nowhere an approach 
to a regular street. At this point, 
however, are situated the hotels and 
principal lodging-houses, and the mu- 
seums for the sale of the mineral and 
fossil productions of Derbyshire. Mr. 
Jewitt, in his ' Matlock Companion,' 
describes, with much animation, the 
scene which here presents itself to the 



£6 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



spectator : — " Fronting the houses is 
one of the finest specimens of rock 
scenery imaginable, in which foliage 
of the richest kind harmonizes with 
the broad ivy-covered face of the Tor, 
or contrasts with the rugged project- 
ing crags. The summit is elegantly 
feathered with trees of the lightest 
ramification ; tail elms and ashes rise 
from among the tangled underwood, 
and afford shelter for thousands of 
rooks and daws ; the Derwent, here a 
smooth and gentle stream, washes its 
base and reflects the rich colours of 
its front, and a green lawn, partly 
planted as a shrubbery, carries the eye 
from the road to the water." Mr. 
Rhodes remarks, in his ' Park Sce- 
nery/ that within Matlock Dale a 
greater portion of magnificent scenery 
is comprised than is perhaps anywhere 
to be found in the same space. The 
scene described by Mr. Jewitt did 
not fail to attract the admiration of 
Mr. Rhodes. He entered the vale 
from the north ; and after winding 
along the valley at the base of the 
High Tor, he came suddenly in sight 
of the hotels, museums, and lodging- 
houses about Matlock Bath : — " A 
more extraordinary, and, to a stran- 
ger, a more unexpected and fasci- 
nating scene seldom occurs. At the 
time we beheld it, it was a vision of 
enchantment, a prospect into the fairy 
regions of romance, where all that can. 
delight the mind and excite admira- 
tion seemed to be assembled together. 
The stream, as it slowly swept round 
the wooded hill in the front of the mu- 



seum, sparkled with the vivid reflec- 
tions of the white houses and the lofty 
trees that here adorn its banks : car- 
riages rolling along the road, and well- 
dressed ladies and gentlemen peram- 
bulating the dale in various groups, 
gave animation to the scene. The 
unexpected novelty of the scene pro- 
duced sensations of delight ; but the 
hotels and all the elegant accommo- 
dations of Matlock Bath were soon 
lost in the contemplation of the hills, 
rocks, and woods, with which they 
are surrounded." 

Here, then, the tourist may enjoy 
advantages which few places can boast, 
— pure and invigorating air, romantic 
and picturesque scenery, excellent 
accommodation at the hotels and 
boarding-houses, the benefit of baths 
and mineral waters, and the pleasures 
of society or solitude, as he may feel 
inclined. The geologist and mineral- 
ogist will find innumerable objects of 
interest under his eyes ; and if he ex- 
tend his observations to the neigh- 
bourhood, he cannot fail to increase 
his knowledge of his favourite pur- 
suit. Matlock is not only a place full 
of interest in itself, but it is the centre 
of a district, every part of which has 
its attractions. Horses and vehicles 
may be hired at a moderate rate ; but 
the principal places of attraction in 
this part of Derbyshire are within a 
distance which will permit the pedes- 
trian to visit them, and thus to enjoy 
himself in a manner at once simple 
and independent, and, with proper 
care, perhaps the most healthful. 



MATLOCK. 



87 



The usual amusement of strangers 
at Matlock consists in visiting the 
caverns and mines, the petrifying 
wells, and the rocks, guides to which 
are always in attendance. The gar- 
dens of Willersley Castle are open to 
visitors on two or three days in the 
week ; boats may be hired for a sail 
on the Derwent ; the Heights of 
Abraham and the High Tor are visited, 
and rural walks may be enjoyed 
which afford prospects of great beauty. 
The Rutland Cavern has been exca- 
vated by the hands of man through 
successive ages, and when lighted up, 
its appearance is very magnificent. 
This is the largest of the Matlock 
caverns. The Cumberland Cavern is 
the most interesting to the geologist. 
The Devonshire Cavern is remark- 
able for its roof, which is nearly 
flat, and its sides are nearly perpen- 
dicular. The visitor makes his egress 
at a different opening from the one 
by which he entered. The Fluor 
Cavern is the one from which the 
fluor spar is obtained. The Speed- 
well Mine contains fine stalactites 
and spars, and, like the Cumberland 
Cavern, is very interesting to the 
geologist. The Side Mine is under 
the High Tor, and contains a grotto, 
in which are to be found crystalliza- 
tions of calcareous or dog-tooth spar, 
of unequalled beauty and richness. 
The charge for admission to these 
caverns and mines is Is. for each in- 
dividual (exclusive of a fee to the 
guides) : an extra charge is made if 
blue or Bengal lights are used. At 



the Petrifying Wells the process of 
petrifaction may be seen, objects 
which are put into them becoming 
soon encrusted by the limestone pre- 
cipitated from the water as it evapo- 
rates. At the museums, two or three 
of which are on an extensive scale, the 
mineralogical productions of Derby- 
shire are on sale, worked up into vases 
and ornamental designs ; and cabinets 
of specimens of spar, fossils, crystalli- 
zations, &c, may be purchased. 

A ramble to the summit of Masson 
is one of the most delightful enjoy- 
ments of Matlock. A winding path 
leads up wooded steeps, and seats are 
provided at points commanding all the 
finest prospects. Mr. Rhodes states 
that the Heights of Abraham (the 
summit of Masson is so called) "com- 
mand most interesting views over a 
vast extent of country. The eye 
ranges over a great portion of five 
counties, and looking eastward, it ap- 
pears a plain to the sea." Westward 
are Hopton and Middleton Moors, 
and, carrying the eye to the opposite 
quarter, Wirksworth Moor, Cromford 
Moor, Crich Chace, Cliff and Stand, 
Tansley Moor, and Riber Hall pass 
successively in review ; and between 
these leading features of the landscape 
there are glimpses of the beautiful 
vale of Derwent. The High Tor is 396 
feet high, and it is therefore about 36 
feet higher than the cross of St. Paul's 
Cathedral. Masson is double the 
height of the Tor, but its sides pre- 
sent the appearance of a bold and 
naked perpendicular wall of masonry, 



ss 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



•which, from its extent, becomes really 
magnificent, and as interesting as it 
is grand from the sections of the strata 
which compose it being open to obser- 
vation. The view from the High Tor 
is not remarkably striking, but the 
paths which lead to it are very beau- 
tiful. 

The crags at Stonnis or il Stone- 
house" are on the Wirksworth road, 
about 2 miles from Matlock. The 
views from them are magnificent, and 
command a great extent of country : 
but we will again quote the author of 
' Peak Scenery :•' — " I stood (he re- 
marks) on the top of Stonnis : masses 
of rock lay scattered at my feet ; a 
grove of pines waved their dark 
branches over my head ; far below, 
embosomed in an amphitheatre of 
hills, one of the finest landscapes that 
nature anywhere presents, was spread 
before me. The habitations of men, 
some near and others far apart, were 
scattered over the scene ; but, in the 
contemplation of the w r oods and rocks 
of Matlock Dale, the windings of the 
Derwent, the pine-crowmed Heights 
of Abraham, and the proud hill of 
Masson, they were all forgotten : the 
structures man had reared seemed as 
nothing amidst the beauty and gran- 
deur of the works of God. I have 
scaled the highest eminences in the 
mountainous districts of Derbyshire, 
seen from their summits the sweet 
dales that repose in tranquil beauty at 
their base, marked the multitude of 
hills included within the wide horizon 
they command, and my heart has 



thrilled with pleasure at the sight ; 
but not an eminence that I ever before 
ascended, not a prospect, however 
rich and varied, which I thence 
descried, was at all comparable with 
the view from Stonnis. In that spe- 
cies of beauty which, in landscape 
scenery, approaches to grandeur, it is 
unequalled in Derbyshire. The parts 
of which it is composed are of the first 
order of fine things, and they are com- 
bined with a felicity that but rarely 
occurs in nature. Scarthin Rock, the 
woods of Willersley Castle, Matlock 
High Tor, the hills of Masson and 
Riber, are all noble objects ; and the 
rude masses that constitute the fore- 
ground of the picture are thrown to- 
gether, and grouped and coloured in 
a manner strikingly picturesque." 

The town of Wirksworth, about a 
mile from Stonnis, has already been 
noticed, but it may be visited by the 
sojourner at Matlock, being only 3 
miles distant. Alluding to its geolo- 
gical position, Mr. Adam states in his 
useful little guide-book entitled 'The 
Gem of the Peak,' that it is "beauti- 
fully situated on the slope of the lime- 
stone measures." 

Bonsall, 2 miles from Matlock, is 
a picturesque mining village. The 
church is an ancient edifice, and in 
the centre of the village is a curious 
old cross. The walk from Matlock is 
very agreeable, and Mr. Jewitt ob- 
serves of the view from the village, 
that it presents " one of the most in- 
teresting successions of mills, wheels, 
and dams, for various purposes, formed 



MATLOCK. 



89 



by a mountain rill, that can anywhere 
be met with ; and this, skirted by high 
mantling rocks or rough stony moun- 
tains with a variety of foliage inter- 
mingled, will delight the eye and set 
the imagination to work to decide 
whether the beautiful or sublime most 
predominates." 

The village of Matlock, 2 miles 
from Matlock Bath, is ancient, and is in- 
habited chiefly by persons employed in 
the neighbouring lead-mines, and in 
the cotton manufacture. The parish 
is extensive, and contains the villages 
of Matlock, Matlock Bath, Matlock 
Bank, Harston or Hearthstone, and 
Riber. There are fine views from 
Matlock Bank; and Riber, 2 miles 
from Matlock, is, or rather was, a 
spot of considerable interest to the 
antiquarian. In Bray's ' Tour in Der- 
byshire,' published in 1783, there is a 
description of the cromlech here which 
resembled the Logan Stone of Corn- 
wall. These cromlechs are the ves- 
tiges of our remotest British ancestors, 
and usually consisted of a large stone 
placed in the manner of a table, but 
in an inclined position, upon other 
stones set up on end. They are sup- 
posed by some of our antiquarians to 
be the remains of altars used for idol- 
atrous worship. This monument of 
superstition no longer exists, having 
been broken to build stone fences ; 
but the top of Riber presents extensive 
views. Towards the west the High 
Tor and Masson are visible ; and in 
the extreme distance Axe-edge. Hill 
and valley, moorland and peak, the 



river Derwent, with villages and farms, 
complete the landscape. 

The u Romantic Rocks," a modern 
name which smacks somewhat too 
much of the want of taste of local 
"guides,* are notwithstanding a very 
interesting series of fragments and 
masses, which the geologist especially 
will delight to investigate. They ap- 
pear as if just torn asunder, " the 
angles exactly corresponding, so that 
if the spectator could by any possi- 
bility move them back, they would fit 
to the greatest nicety." (Adam's 
1 Gem of the Peak.') Mr. Jewitt, after 
observing that it is difficult to describe 
this singular group of rocks, never- 
theless conveys a very fair idea of 
their appearance. " Imagine (he says) 
in a recess formed by the internal 
angle of two massive rocks, a num- 
ber of gigantic obelisks, apparently 
composed of rude stones piled one 
upon another, irregularly tapering to 
a point, and totally detached from 
each other, and from the parent rock, 
rising perpendicularly to the height of 
60 feet. Imagine this recess overhung 
with the foliage of the ash, the elm, 
or the hazel that jut out of the sides 
of the rock, and with the profusion of 
shrubs and plants which hang down 
from the fissures, receiving, instead of 
the light of day, a cold sepulchral 
gloom which adds a solemn interest to 
the scene, — and a faint but imperfect 

* This is a fault almost characteristic of Matlock : 
thus we have Cupid's Cascade, Queen Dido's 
Cave, and some others nearly as tasteless and inex- 
pressive. 



90 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



picture will be formed in the mind of | 
the Romantic Rocks, perhaps better 
designated by their former name of 
Dungeon Tors." Mr. Jewitt adds that 
" these natural obelisks, even taken 
singly, are interesting subjects both to 
the artist and to the botanist : to the 
former from the rich tints produced on 
the grey stone by the variety of lichens 
and mosses with which it is covered ; 
and to the latter by the examination 
of these lichens, mosses, and other 
curious plants which are found within 
the recess. Altogether these rocks 



produce the foreground of a picture 
rich in the strongest shade and embel- 
lished with plants of every tint, while 
it commands from its extreme altitude 
a distance for beauty, variety, and bril- 
liancy indescribable." 

We have now enumerated the prin- 
cipal sources of attraction which are 
to be found at Matlock and its imme- 
diate neighbourhood. The excursions 
which may be made from this point 
to more distant places will form the 
subject of the next chapter. 



91 



CHAPTER VII. 



EXCURSIONS IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF MATLOCK. 



To Chatsworth. 

Chatsworth and Haddon Hall are 
sometimes visited in one day's excur- 
sion, the former being 12 miles N. by 
W. of Matlock, and the latter 8 miles 
N.W. by W. The beauties and attrac- 
tions of this part of Derbyshire are so 
thickly distributed, that there is some 
temptation to hurry over them ; but if 
the tourist has sufficient time at his 
disposal, he will find it more advan- 
tageous to become well acquainted 
with the most striking scenes and 
objects. We will therefore assume 
that a visit to Chatsworth and Haddon 
will occupy one whole day. 

The road is beneath the Tor, passing 
Matlock village on the left, and cross- 
ing Matlock Bridge. Between this 
point and Rowsley, a beautiful view 
occurs of Darley Dale. Soon after 
leaving Rowsley on the left the 
*' Palace of the Peak" becomes visible, 
surrounded by the most beautiful trees 
and undulating ground, forming a 
prospect where nature and art seem 
to have vied with each other to pro- 
duce the most happy effect. The 
woodland scenery of the park is graced 



by the refreshing waters of the river 
Derwent, which passes through it, 
and over which an elegant stone 
bridge is thrown, built by Payne from 
a design said to be by Michael Angelo. 
Behind the house, which forms the 
middle distance in the picture, rises a 
gently sloping hill, shadowed by broad 
masses of thick foliage, and beyond 
are seen the .romantic hills which 
skirt the Peak of Derbyshire. 

We next pass the village of Beeley, 
the neighbourhood of which is famous 
for large mill-stones, which are sent 
to all parts of the kingdom. A private 
entrance to the park is next passed, 
and we soon reach the bridge over 
which the public road is carried. 
This public entrance is near the pretty 
little village of Edensor, but the un- 
assuming appearance of the gate and 
the porter's lodge would not lead any 
one to imagine the magnificence 
which reigns within. Edensor is situ- 
ated within the park, and here there 
is an excellent inn for the accommo- 
dation of visitors. 

Chatsworth was among the domains 
originally given by William the Con- 
queror to William Peveril, one of his 



92 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



attendants, but it afterwards passed 
into the noble family of Cavendish, 
and has ever been a favourite resi- 
dence of the earls and dukes of 
Devonshire. The plan of the present 
building was the production of Wil- 
liam Talman, a native of Wiltshire, 
who was comptroller of the works 
in the reign of William III. ; and the 
greater portion was built under his 
superintendence ; but the whole extent 
of the original design has only been 
carried out by the present duke and 
his predecessor, who have not only 
completed the intentions of the archi- 
tect, but have added considerably to 
the original plans, and improved the 
appearance of the whole. Talman 
was also the architect of Denham 
House, Gloucestershire*, and old Tho- 
resby House in Nottinghamshire. 

Chatsworth was for some time the 
residence or prison of Mary Queen of 
Scots, a circumstance which has caused 
her name to be given to a suite of 
apartments in the building, which, 
however, we need scarcely say, she 
never could have occupied. It was 
here also that Hobbes, * the great 
Leviathan," passed many of his days, 
having early in life been received into 
the Devonshire family, and retained 
its confidence to his death. This hos- 
pitable domain was also, for a short 
period, the residence of Marshal Tal- 
lard, who was taken prisoner by the 
Duke of Marlborough at the battle of 
Blenheim. On taking leave of the 
Duke of Devonshire, after his visit, 
he is reported to have said, with the 



happy politeness of his nation, " When 
I return to France, and reckon up the 
days of my captivity in England, I 
shall leave out all those I have spent 
at Chatsworth." 

The house is composed of four nearly 
equal sides, with an open quadran- 
gular court within, forming the por- 
tion first completed, but to this have 
since been added extensive wings and 
additional buildings. The sides of the 
court have open balconies, guarded by 
stone balustrades, which are divided 
into different sections by 22 inter- 
vening parts forming pedestals, on 
which are placed busts, carved in 
stone, representing some of the most 
distinguished men of the reign of 
Queen Anne. The middle of the 
court is occupied by a marble statue 
of Arion seated on the back of a 
dolphin, round which the clear water 
of a fountain is continually playing, 
falling into a capacious basin of 
Derbyshire marble below. This figure 
is sometimes called Orpheus, but it 
seems more probable, as suggested by 
Mr. Rhodes, that it was intended to 
represent Arion, the musician and 
poet of Lesbos. There are also several 
other sculptures in the court, besides 
the ornamental carvings of the build- 
ing, the best of which however (on the 
exterior) are those on the principal 
front of the house, which presents a 
very imposing appearance. 

But however faultless a building 
may be considered, there are never 
wanting critics who pretend to dis- 
cover imperfections, which only exist 



CHATSWORTH. 



93 




94 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



in their own minds. Mr. Rhodes, in 
his elegant delineation of i Peak 
Scenery,' mentions that he " once 
heard an eminent artist remark, that 
the principal fault in Chatsworth was 
an apparent want of apartments suited 
for the accommodation of the domes- 
tics of so princely a mansion. It is a 
palace to the eye, where every part 
seems alike fitted for the noble owner 
and his guests only, and on beholding 
it the spectator is naturally led to 
inquire where the servants of such an 
establishment are to abide." We doubt 
if such reflections would be made by 
any but a professional person, and we 
should imagine that the art to conceal 
or disguise the residences of the do- 
mestics, or the places where domestic 
occupations are carried on, is of para- 
mount importance in the construction 
of a building in which every part 
should claim the admiration of the 
spectator, and, where successfully ex- 
hibited, should claim the encomium 
rather than the blame of all who 
aspire to architectural taste. 

The rooms of this palace are gene- 
rally spacious and lofty, some of them 
hung with tapestry, and all elegantly 
furnished ; but in the decorations of 
those parts of the mansion which have 
been left in their original state, the 
chaster taste of the present day has to 
lament the employment of artists, who, 
although fashionable in their time, are 
now justly condemned for the nutter 
and gaudiness of their productions. 
We allude to the pictures by Verrio 
and Laguerre (whom he employed as 



his assistant), which adorn, or rather 
disfigure the staircases, the ceilings, 
and walls of so many apartments at 
Chatsworth. Even the chapel is not 
free from the meretricious productions 
of this school. But the looseness of 
design and profusion of ornament, 
which are the blemish of these pictures, 
become objects of the highest admira- 
tion when displayed under the chisel 
of the carver in wood or stone. The 
sober colour of the material takes 
away from the gaudiness of appear- 
ance, and the knowledge of the diffi- 
culties which have been encountered 
in the production of so unexpected an 
effect from its solid and unyielding 
nature, increases the pleasure with 
which we witness the result of the 
artist's labours. At Chatsworth are 
some of the finest specimens of the 
carving of Grinlin Gibbons and Samuel 
Watson, two artists nearly equal in 
talent, if not in fame. Some of the 
most beautiful specimens of this art 
at Chatsworth are by the former artist, 
but the greater portion is by Watson, 
whose receipts for the sums paid for 
the work are still preserved. 

Nothing can be imagined more 
beautiful than the carvings which de- 
corate the wahVof Chatsworth. There 
is, particularly, a net containing dead 
game, by Gibbons, which exhibits the 
perfection of the art ; while fruit and 
flowers, carved with a delicacy which 
rivals the productions of Nature herself, 
are flung around in the most graceful 
manner ; here hanging in elegant 
festoons from the ceiling, there drop- 



CHATSWORTH. 



95 



ping down the walls and sides of the 
doors, as though Pomona and Flora 
had mingled their treasures, and made 
Chatsworth their storehouse. 

The pictures in the possession of 
the Duke of Devonshire at Chatsworth 
are not very numerous, hut there is 
a long gallery near the entrance-hall 
lined with several hundreds of fine 
drawings and sketches hy the old 
masters ; and there are several fine 
statues, principally collected hy the 
present duke— among them the cele- 
brated figure of the mother of Napo- 
leon, by Canova, and the exquisite 
bust of Petrarch's Laura, by the same 
sculptor, both of which are in the 
library. This magnificent room is 
worthy the valuable collection of books 
which it contains ; and besides the 
statues and pictures with which it is 
adorned, it contains two porphyry 
vases, received from Russia, which, 
on account of their size and beauty, 
attract the attention of every visitor. 

The fine park which surrounds the 
house, and the gardens teeming with 
everything rare and beautiful which 
the floriculturist could desire, have, 
under the fostering care of the Duke 
of Devonshire, whose taste on such 
matters is appreciated by all engaged 
in similar pursuits, become among the 
most celebrated in the kingdom for 
the beauty and exquisite order of their 
arrangements. 

We will now, however, briefly no- 
tice the apartments through which 
visitors are shown. Entering the ves- 
tibule, which contains busts and figures 



from the antique, we pass by a corri- 
dor into the great hall, which is deco- 
rated with paintings by Yerrio and 
Laguerre, representing the most re- 
markable events in the life of Caesar. 
The State Apartments are next visited. 
In these rooms are the celebrated 
carvings of game, fish, fruit, flowers, 
&c, which have rendered Gibbons so 
famous in this department of art. The 
ceilings are enriched with a series of 
allegorical paintings by Yerrio. The 
dining-room, drawing-room, music- 
room, and state bed-room, are com- 
prised in this suite, the entire length 
of which is 190 feet. The south gal- 
leries contain nearly 1000 original 
drawings by the most eminent masters 
of the Italian, Venetian, Flemish, and 
Spanish schools of art. This collection 
is quite unique in its way. The bil- 
liard-room contains Landseers fine 
picture of "Bolton Abbey," in the 
olden time, and numerous other paint- 
ings. The chapel is wainscoted and 
seated with cedar, the fine scent of 
which is immediately perceived on 
entering. It abounds in carved and 
sculptured ornaments, which are ap- 
propriate to the place, but it is also 
crowded with paintings which break 
the chastity of its appearance. When 
paintings are introduced into places 
of this character, they should reflect 
the dignity and purity of the religion 
the temple of which they are to grace ; 
here, however, the productions of 
Verrio's pencil distract the attention 
and lead the thoughts from the con- 
templation of religion to the follies of 



96 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



the world ; for although the chapel at 
Chatsworth boasts of the master-piece 
of Verrio, the glitter of art so super- 
sedes the sentiment of nature, that 
little of the latter finds its way to the 
mind. That great satirist of the vices 
of mankind, who censured all — but 
himself— for the follies they were 
guilty of, has not let the productions 
of these painters escape his lash — 

* ' And now the chapel's silver bells you hear, 
That summon you to all the pride of prayer ; 
Light quirks of music, broken and uneven, 
Make the soul dance upon a jig to heaven. 
On painted ceilings yon devoutly stare, 
Where sprawl the saints of Verrio and Laguerre."' 

The series of rooms called the Draw- 
ing-room suite, with the library, and 
the apartments in the new wing, form 
a connected suite extending over an 
area of nearly 750 feet long. These 
rooms are furnished in a style of ele- 
gant and costly magnificence, and 
contain a few splendid pictures, though 
the collection is not numerous. The 
library is about 90 feet by 22, with 
painted ceiling by Louis Charon. The 
ceiling of the next room, which is 
called the Ante-library, is painted by 
Hayter and Landseer. Between this 
and the dining-room is a small room 
with a highly- ornamented dome sup- 
ported by columns of oriental alabaster 
with pedestals and capitals of great 
beauty. The dining-room is about 58 
feet by 30 feet, and 25 feet in height. 
The sideboards are formed of very 
beautiful slabs, mounted on richly em- 
bossed and burnished gold frames. 
The two chimney-pieces are very 
beautiful, and are sculptured with 



figures of the size of life by Westma- 
cott, jun., and Sievier. The room 
between the drawing-room and sculp- 
ture-gallery is fitted up for the accom- 
modation of a musical band. 

If the collection of pictures at Chats- 
worth be surpassed in many other of 
our noble mansions, it excels them in 
works of sculpture. The sculpture- 
gallery is a very fine apartment, lighted 
from the top. The walls are of polished 
variegated grit-stone, and have that 
simplicity of tone and colour so well 
calculated to heighten the effect of the 
many exquisite works of art in this 
exhibition. Some of them are by 
Canova, Thorwaldsen, Chantry, Wyatt, 
Westmacott, and other distinguished 
foreign and native artists. The vases, 
columns, pedestals, obelisks, brackets, 
slabs, are many of them objects of 
great beauty, either from their exqui- 
site workmanship, or the beauty of the 
material, or from these combined. The 
various objects of interest will be 
pointed out to visitors, and we must 
now leave this room, which is certainly 
the glory of Chatsworth. 

The orangery is the next in succes- 
sion. It is 180 feet long, 27 wide, and 
21 feet high, lighted by a glass roof 
and by 11 windows of plate -glass. 
Some of the trees were selected from 
the fine orangery of the Empress Jose- 
phine at Malmaison. There are three 
specimens of Rhododendron Arboreum, 
one of which bore upwards £>f 2000 
flowers in the summer of 1840. Some 
beautiful bassi-relievi are in this room 
as well as in the sculpture-gallery. At 



CHATSWORTH. 



97 



the northern end of the orangery there 
is a communication with the baths and 
ball-room. Over this is an open temple 
which commands very extensive pros- 
pects. The distance from the bath- 
lobby to the great drawing-room is 557 
feet ; and as all the doors of the suites 
of rooms comprised between these two 
points are of the same width, and 
opposite each other, a vista of singular 
length and beauty is disclosed. 

A flight of steps leads from the 
orangery to the flower-garden. On 
each side of the descent are represen- 
tations of the Dogs of Alcibiades, and 
the extremity of each balustrade is 
occupied by a splendid vase of Swed- 
ish porphyry beautifully spotted with 
crystals of feldspar and highly polished. 
A carriage-drive leads to the Grand 
Conservatory and Arboretum ; and, 
in another direction, we descend by a 
flight of steps to the green-house. 
The lawn in front of the green-house 
contains beds of shrubs and flowers 
laid out in the oriental style, and there 
are 16 busts on pedestals occupying 
the sides of the walks. One of the 
figures is a colossal statue of Flora ; 
and. there are two figures of Isis and 
Osiris in granite, from the Great Tem- 
ple at Carnac. 

The Water-works and the Great 
Cascade were designed a century ago 
by a French engineer, and once gave 
great celebrity to Chatsworth, but the 
taste for playthings of this kind has 
passed away, and they now excite little 
interest. They are situated to the 
south and south-east of the house, and 



when in play, a vast body of water 
rises from a square building, sur- 
mounted by a dome ornamented with 
lions' heads, dolphins, sea-nymphs, and 
other figures, through which it falls 
into a basin below, and then descends 
a series of 24 ledges for about 300 
yards, when the stream disappears 
amidst masses of rock, and passes 
beneath the lawns to the river. The 
" Willow Tree" consists of a series of 
jets d'eau, the pipes of which are in 
the form of a decayed tree. One of 
the fountains opposite the south front 
throws up the water 90 feet. A Cyclo- 
pean aqueduct is now constructing, 
which is designed, by a fall of about 
150 feet, near the first reservoir, to 
form a connecting link with the water- 
works. Mr. Adam, in the ' Gem of 
the Peak,' states that the aqueduct 
"is being constructed of the loose 
blocks of the grit-stone which abound 
on the cliff, and no mortar or tool- 
mark is suffered to appear on the ex- 
terior. The elevation of the last arch 
which was formed [there are several 
now completed] is about 79 feet." 

We now proceed to the Grand Con- 
servatory (300 feet long by 145 feet 
wide) by a winding carriage-road, and 
enter by an archway over which a ter- 
race-walk is carried, extending round 
the whole of the conservatory, and 
planted on each side. " The elevation 
of the central coved or arched roof is 
67 feet, with a span of about 70 feet, 
resting on 2 rows of elegant iron pil- 
lars 28 feet high, and about equally 
dividing the building." Such is the 



9S 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



scale of this magnificent Conservatory, 
which, from an elevation of about 5 
or 6 feet from the ground, is one mass 
of glass frames. Each plate of glass, 
about 2 feet long by 4 inches wide, is 
placed diagonally to that of the hori- 
zontal plane, in order to resist the effect 
of hail-storms. The surface of the inte- 
rior is undulating, and comprises an 
area of about an acre, in the centre of 
which is a carriage-road, the plants 
being distributed in open borders, each 
class in the soil peculiar to it, and the 
degree of temperature is applied and 
regulated in a manner which is most 
conducive to the healthy and flourish- 
ing state of each class of plants in 
the different beds. The tubes for con- 
veying hot and cold water are said to 
be about six miles in length. A view 
of the whole of the interior may be 
obtained from a circular gallery at the 
base of the dome, the access to which 
is by a series of rustic steps amidst 
arches and rock- work of a similar cha- 
racter, which winds over an elevated 
piece of ground covered with the 
choicest shrubs and plants. Mr. Adam 
says that a tunnel with a line of rails 
is also carried round the whole exterior 
for the purpose of obtaining access to 
the stoves and the pipes for conveying 
water. To realize an idea of the con- 
servatory at Chatsworth, the best plan 
is to visit it. Nothing of the kind was 
ever before planned on so gigantic a 
scale. 

The Arboretum covers several acres, 
is sheltered and protected from the 
northern and eastern winds ; and here 



exotic trees and shrubs are becoming 
naturalized under the scientific care 
of Mr. Paxton, the principal horticul- 
turist. The jardins a potager are 12 
acres in extent, and contain 22 hot- 
houses and numerous forcing-pits. 

And now, having beheld the chief 
features of that princely magnificence 
for which Chatsworth is so highly cele- 
brated, we would fain linger within 
its domains, which abound with pic- 
turesque and romantic views. Mr. 
Rhodes, in speaking of the beautiful 
views which abound at Chatsworth, 
mentions one with which he was par- 
ticularly pleased, in the following 
manner : — "A little to the left was the 
building, backed with broad and ample 
foliage ; cattle reposing in groups on 
the bank of the river, or cooling them- 
selves in the stream, adorned the fore- 
ground ; and the middle and remote 
distances, which were ornamented with 
a palace, a bridge, and towers and 
temples, disclosed altogether a scene 
as rich and as lovely as the fancy of 
Claude Lorraine ever portrayed when 
under the influence of his happiest 
inspirations. Yet the foreground had 
more of Berghem than of Claude in 
it : the respective features which con- 
stitute the peculiar charms of excel- 
lence of these great masters were most 
harmoniously combined ; every part 
was in character, and the whole was 
faithful to nature." 

The road from Chatsworth to Bake- 
well, to which place we will now con- 
duct the tourist, is equally striking 
for its beauties. Mr. Adam, who pos- 



BAKEWELL. 



99 



sesses a discriminating taste for the 
picturesque, and extensive geological 
and mineralogical attainments, re- 
marks, after leaving Edensor inn : — 
"On attaining the elevated ground, 
the ridges and peaks of the moorland, 
which were partly hidden by the beau- 
tiful knolls of the park, were laid open 
before us, in all their blackness, lofti- 
ness, and massive outline, skirting the 
horizon to the east and north for many 
miles. The crags of the grit are most 
imposing, having such a gloomy ap- 
pearance. The bare faces and the 
broken fragments are strewed thickly, 
like hailstones, on the shelving sides of 
their elevated escarpments and in the 
deep ravines which traverse them, and 
assume a very dark colour by oxy- 
dation, owing partly to the decayed 
moss and heath which cover them. 
This is particularly the case on each 
side of the road seen to the eastward, 
which winds its way under the black 
crags and over the high moors to Shef- 
field. Tracing the ridges to the north- 
ward, the eye is carried forward to 
Calver, Middleton Dale, and to the 
high mountains of the Peak by Castle- 
ton : to the westward the bold lime- 
stone ridge of Longstone Edge is very 
striking." 

The distance from Chatsworth to 
Bakewell is not more than 4 miles ; 
but the usual plan is to proceed by 
Pilsley, and crossing the Sheffield and 
Bakewell road, to keep to the north 
of Bakewell to Ashford and Monsal 
Dale. The Earl of Newburgh has a 
seat near the village of Hassop, about 



a mile distant from our present course. 
Ashford is a chapelry within the ex- 
tensive parish of Bakewell, and is 
situated at the extremity of the De- 
mon's Dale, though there is little of 
the wildness which would render such 
a name appropriate, the scenery of 
this part of Derbyshire being in fact 
of a kind very different from that of 
the bleak and rugged district which it 
so immediately adjoins. The Wye 
runs through the village, which, from 
its low situation, is frequently called 
Ashford-in-the-Water. The popula- 
tion is about 700, who are employed 
in agriculture, the cotton manufacture, 
and in the marble- works. These works 
were established by Mr. *\Vatson, 
of Bakewell, about a century ago, for 
sawing and polishing the black and 
grey marbles found in the vicinity. 
They were next in the hands of Mr. 
John Piatt, architect, of Rotherham ; 
then of Mr. Brown, of Derby ; and 
they are now in the possession of Old- 
field and Co. The process of sawing, 
grinding, and polishing the marbles 
is by massive wooden machines which 
are put in motion by a water-wheel. 
From the quarry on the opposite side 
of the Wye is obtained the finest and 
purest black marble in the world. 
Mr. Adam says : — " The present quar- 
ry has a bearing of at least 40 feet 
above it of bad measures, as they are 
called, and the good black consists of 
9 beds, varying from 3 to 9 inches in 
thickness, with thin alternating beds 
of shale and chert or black flint, some- 
times also existing in black nodules. 



100 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



It is difficult to raise a perfect slab of 
more than 6 or 7 feet long and from 2 
to 5 feet wide." Adam and Co. have 
workshops at Ashford, where they 
prepare the productions of foreign as 
well as the Derbyshire quarries, which 
are worked into objects of ornament 
and use. The neighbourhood of Ash- 
bourn is interesting to the geologist, 
and the Wye is a great attraction to 
the angler and the artist. Ashford 
Hall is the residence of the Hon. G. 
H. Cavendish, M.P. for North Derby- 
shire. 

Monsal Dale bursts suddenly upon 
the sight in passing from Ashford to 
Wardlow. This spot presents one of 
the molt delightful scenes in Derby- 
shire. It is a verdant and smiling land- 
scape surrounded by barren and bleak 
hills. The authoress of ' Vignettes of 
Derbyshire ' remarks : — " The Wye 
seems to have changed its charac- 
teristics under the influence of this 
sylvan vale, and no longer foams over 
a rocky, channel or forces its way 
through narrow denies, but expands 
its glossy surface to the smooth banks 
of the beautiful meadow-land that di- 
vide it from the base of the mountain. 
Two or three rustic dwellings, in per- 
fect harmony with the scene, diversify 
the level of the valley : they are shaded 
by the finest ash-trees that grow in 
Derbyshire, whilst their descendants 
grace the rising hills in little groups 
or single trees, and throw their sha- 
dows on the bright green turf from 
whence they spring; the mountains 
rising above them, from which the 



rocks start in light pinnacles or round- 
ed turrets, the shining ivy at all sea- 
sons of the year decking their silver 
sides with its evergreen beauty. The 
river, after having spread itself in a 
beautiful expanse, winds eastward out 
of the dale, its termination hid by the 
projecting headland." The next open- 
ing of the dale is called Cressbrook 
Dale. On the heights which overlook 
Monsal Dale was a large barrow, about 
160 feet in circumference, which con- 
tained several human skeletons, urns 
of coarse clay, slightly baked, in which 
were burnt bones, beaks of birds, &c. 
Arrow-heads of flint were found, and 
the whole remains were evidently of a 
high antiquity. It is nearly half a 
century since the barrow was destroyed 
for the sake of obtaining the masses of 
limestone used in its construction. 

Again passing through Ashford we 
reach Bakewell, a place of great an- 
tiquity. It is first mentioned in the 
reign of Edward the Elder, who, ac- 
cording to the Saxon Chronicle, in the 
year 924 marched with his army from 
Nottingham to Badecanwillan, which 
was the original name of Bakewell. 
Edward, in the same year, ordered a 
"castle " to be built in the neighbour- 
hood, which has generally been trans- 
lated a burgh or town (see Lysons's 
1 Magna Britannia,' vol. v. p. 24). The 
Castle Hill is a knoll on the east bank of 
the River Wye, opposite the bridge : it 
retains traces of the keep, &c. Bake- 
well stands on the west bank of theWye, 
about 2 miles above its influx into the 
Derwent. According to Camden, it 



BAKEWELL. 



101 



derives its name from a mineral spring 
and an ancient bath in the place, 
which are supposed to have been 
known to the Romans. " The latter 
spring," says the same authority, 
"bubbles up warm water, which is 
found by experience to be good for the 
stomach, nerves, and the whole body." 
In the ' Domesday Survey ' the name 
of the place is written Badequella, and 
was soon afterwards corrupted to that 
of Bauquelle, whence the change to 
its present name was very easy and 
natural. There is no evidence to 
prove that Bakewell was a Roman 
station. A Roman altar discovered 
in the meadows about a mile south of 
Bakewell, near Haddon, is at present 
in the porch of the old dining-room at 
Haddon. 

William the Conqueror gave Bake- 
well to his natural son William Peve- 
ril. The son of the latter having 
forfeited all his heritable property in 
the reign of Henry II., King John, 
soon after his accession to the throne, 
granted the manor of Bakewell to 
Ralph Gernon, in whose family it re- 
mained for some time. From the G er- 
nons it came by marriage ultimately 
to Sir Roger Wentworth, who sold it, 
in the reign of Henry VII., to the Yer- 
non family, who afterwards disposed 
of it to the Duke of Rutland, in which 
family it still remains. Bakewell had 
a bailiff and burgesses in the time of 
Elizabeth, but it never sent mem- 
bers to parliament. In the town there 
is a cotton manufactory, established 
by the late Sir R. Arkwright, which 



carries on business to a considerable 
extent. A number of the inhabitants 
are employed in the lead-mines and 
stone-quarries which are found in the 
neighbourhood. The parish church, 
which is dedicated to All Saints, is an 
ancient and handsome structure situ- 
ated on an eminence. The workman- 
ship exhibits specimens of the style of 
three different periods. It is built in 
the form of a cross, and had once an 
octagonal tower in the centre, from 
which a lofty spire rose ; but the tower 
and spire have been taken down. The 
western part of the nave is. of plain 
Saxon architecture ; but the external 
arch of the west door- way is enriched 
with Saxon ornaments. The rest of 
the building is in the Gothic style. 
The west part of the present church 
is probably as old as the eleventh cen- 
tury. Part of it was built in the thir- 
teenth, part in the fourteenth, but the 
greatest part in the fifteenth century. 
A very liberal subscription has been 
made towards effecting the thorough 
repair and restoration of this ancient 
edifice. In the interior of the church, 
against an arch on the south side of 
the nave, is a very curious monument 
to the memory of Sir Godfrey Fol- 
jambe and his lady. The former died 
in 1376 and the latter in 1383. They 
were the founders of a chantry in 
Bakewell in the reign of Henry III., 
which was destroyed at the Refor- 
mation. The monument, though some- 
what defaced by time, is still remark- 
ably beautiful. The arms upon it are 
evidently those of Foljambe and Dar- 



102 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



ley. The figures are half-length, and 
rather smaller than life. They are 
carved in alabaster in alto-relievo, 
under a canopy. In the vestry, within 
the south transept of the church, is a 
monument with, the effigies in ala- 
baster of a knight in plate armour, 
mail gorget, and pointed helmet, with 
a richly-ornameflted bandeau, his pil- 
low supported by angels. According 
to tradition, and the almost unanimous 
opinion of antiquarians, this monu- 
ment is that of Sir Thomas Wendesley, 
generally called Wensley, who lost his 
life in the. reign of Henry IV., at the 
battle of Shrewsbury. In the middle 
of the chancel are the tombs of several 
individuals of distinction. 

In the parish of Bakewell, which is 
the most extensive in the county, being 
more than 20 miles in length and up- 
wards of S in breadth, there are 9 paro- 
chial chapelries. The parish com- 
prehends 15 townships, and contained 
in 1831 a population of 9503. The 
population of the township of Bake- 
well at the same period was 1898. 
The parish is stated in the ' Domesday 
Survey' to have had two priests. In 
the first year of his reign, King John 
granted the church of Bakewell, then 
collegiate, with its prebends and other 
appurtenances, to the canons of Lich- 
field, to whom it was afterwards ap- 
propriated. At that time there were 
three priests who constantly officiated 
in the church, and for whom a suffi- 
cient maintenance was provided. In 
consequence of the above grant, one of 
the prebendaries of Lichfield engaged 



to say mass for the souls of the king and 
his ancestors, in the cathedral of that 
city. In the year 1280 a complaint 
was made to the then Archbishop of 
Canterbury, that the deacon and sub- 
deacon of the church of Bakewell, 
then celebrated for its riches, were so 
indifferently provided for, that they 
were obliged to beg their bread, in 
consequence of which that prelate or- 
dained, in the same year, that they 
should eat at the vicar's table, in con- 
sideration of which, he was allowed 10 
marks per annum out of the rectory, 
in addition to the 20 marks which he 
previously received yearly for the per- 
formance of his clerical duties. The 
annual allowance to the deacon for 
clothes was a mark, and 10s. were 
given to the sub-deacon for the same 
purpose. The patronage of the vicar- 
age of Bakewell still belongs to the 
dean and chapter of Lichfield. 

The weekly market of Bakewell was 
formerly held on Monday ; but for the 
last 30 years it has been held on Fri- 
day. Very little business of any kind 
is done in it. Bakewell has a free- 
school of ancient date, which is now 
kept in the town-hall. 

The nearest station on the Xorth 
Midland Railway is at Chesterfield, 12 
miles from Bakewell (to which there 
is an omnibus which meets some of 
the principal trains) : Sheffield is 16 
miles distant ; Buxton 12, Castleton 16, 
Matlock 10, Derby 27, and London 
153. Leaving Bakewell, on our re- 
turn to Matlock, we soon reach Had- 
don Hall, situated about 2 miles south 



HADDON HALL. 



103 




101 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



of Bakewell, on a bold eminence which 
rises on the east side of the River Wye, 
and overlooks the pleasant vale of 
Haddon. The great charm of Haddon 
consists in the complete picture which 
it affords of the ancient baronial resi- 
dence, with glimpses of the modes of life 
which were peculiar to the age in which 
it was erected. Though not now in- 
habited, it is in complete repair. 

The high turrets and embattlements 
of this mansion, when beheld from a 
distance, give it the resemblance of a 
fortress. It consists of numerous apart- 
ments and offices, erected at differ- 
ent periods, and surrounding two paved 
quadrangular courts. The most an- 
cient part is the tower over the gate- 
way, on the east side of the upper 
quadrangle, and was probably built 
about the reign of Edward III. ; but 
there is no evidence by which its pre- 
cise date can be ascertained. The 
chapel is of the time of Henry VI., 
and the painted glass in one of the 
windows affords the date " Millesimo 
ccccxxvn," or 1427 : and the tower 
at the north-west corner, on which are 
the arms of the Vernons, Pipes, &c, 
is nearly of the same period. The 
gallery was erected in the reign of 
Queen Elizabeth, after the death of Sir 
George Vernon ; but no part of the 
building is of a date later than the 
sixteenth century. 

The principal entrance, at the north- 
west angle, is under a high tower, 
through a large arched gateway that 
leads by a flight of angular steps into 
the great court. Near the middle of 



the east side of the latter is a second 
flight of steps communicating with 
the great porch, over the door of which 
are two shields of arms carved in stone. 
On the right of the passage leading 
from the porch is the great hall, 
having a communication with the 
grand staircase and state apartments ; 
and on the left, ranging in a line, are 
four large doorways, with great pointed 
stone arches, which connect with the 
kitchen, buttery, wine-cellar, and nu- 
merous small upper apartments that 
appear to have been used as lodging- 
rooms for the guests and their retain- 
ers. In the kitchen are two vast 
fire-places with irons for a prodigious 
number of spits, various stores, great 
double ranges of dressers, an enormous 
chopping block, &c. Adjoining the 
kitchen are various lesser rooms, for 
larders and other purposes. 

The hall itself must have been the 
great public dining-room, for there 
is no other apartment in the building 
sufficiently spacious for the purpose. 
At the upper end is a raised floor* 
where the table for the lord and his 
principal guests was spread ; and on 
two sides is a gallery supported on 
pillars. From the south-east corner 
is a passage leading to the great stair- 
case, formed of huge blocks of stone 
rudely jointed ; at the top of which, 
on the right, is a large apartment hung 
with arras, and behind it a little door 
opening into the hall-gallery. The 
hall was built before 1452. The din- 
ing-room was erected at a later period, 
when some change had taken place in 



HADDON HALL. 



105 



the forms of society, and the baron 
dined in the hall only on festive 
occasions. 

On the left of the passage, at the 
head of the stairs, five or six very large 
semicircular steps, formed of solid 
timber, lead to the long gallery, which 
occupies the whole south side of the 
second court, and is 110 feet in length 
and 17 wide ; but the height, which is 
only 15 feet, detracts considerably from 
its appearance. The flooring is of oak 
planks, which tradition states to have 
been cut out of a single tree that grew 
in the garden. The wainscoting is 
likewise of oak, and is curiously orna- 
mented. The frieze exhibits carvings 
of boars' heads, thistles, and roses. 
In the midst of the gallery is a great 
square recess, besides several bay win- 
dows ornamented with armorial es- 
cutcheons. Near the end of the gallery 
there is a short passage that opens into 
a room having a frieze and cornice of 
rough plaster, adorned with peacocks' 
and boars' heads in alternate succes- 
sion : an adjoining apartment is orna- 
mented in the same manner ; and over 
the chimney is a very large bas-relief 
of Orpheus charming the beasts, of 
similar composition. All the principal 
rooms, except the gallery, were hung 
with loose arras, a great part of which 
still remains ; and the doors were con- 
cealed everywhere behind the hangings, 
so that the tapestry was to be lifted up 
to enable a person to pass in and out ; 
but, for the sake of convenience, there 
were great iron hooks, (many of which 
are still in their places,) by means of 



which it might be occasionally held 
back. The doors being thus concealed, 
nothing can be conceived more ill- 
fashioned than their workmanship. 
Few of them fit tolerably close ; and 
wooden bolts, rude bars, and iron hasps, 
are in general their best and only fas- 
tenings. 

The chapel is on the south-west 
angle of the great court. It has a body 
and two aisles, divided from the former 
by pillars and pointed arches. The 
windows afford some good remains of 
painted glass. By the side of the altar 
is a niche and basin for holy water. An 
ancient stone font is likewise preserved 
there. Near the entrance of the cha- 
pel stands a Roman altar about 3 feet 
high, said to have been dug up near 
Bakewell. The chaplain's room is 
an interesting old place. Here are a 
buckskin doublet, pewter plates and 
dishes, a match-lock of the seventeenth 
century, the chapel-bell, an old cradle, 
and other things calculated to convey 
an idea of the mode of living above two 
centuries ago. The hearth is encircled 
with a stone raised about three inches 
above the floor to serve as a fender. 

The park originally connected with 
this mansion was ploughed up and 
cultivated above 60 years since. The 
gardens consist chiefly of terraces, 
ranged one above another, each hav- 
ing a sort of stone balustrade. The 
prospects from the leads and the watch- 
tower are extremely fine ; and " in the 
vicinity of the house is a sweeping 
group of luxuriant old trees. 

This manor of Haddon was, soon 



106 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



after the Conquest, the property of the 
Avenells, by the marriages of whose 
co-heirs it became divided between the 
families of Vernon and Basset in the 
reign of Richard I. But in the time 
of Henry VI. the estate had become 
the sole property of Sir Richard Ver- 
non, whose last male heir, Sir George 
Vernon, who died in the seventh year 
of Queen Elizabeth, became so distin- 
guished by his hospitality and magnifi- 
cent mode of living, that he was locally 
called "the King of the Peak." By 
the marriage of one of this person's 
heiresses, who inherited the estate of 
Haddon, it came into the family of 
Manners, in which it still remains, 
being the property of the Duke of 
Rutland. The hall remained the 
principal residence of this family until 
it was superseded, at the beginning of 
the last century, by Bel voir Castle, in 
Leicestershire. In the time of the first 
Duke of Rutland (so created by Queen 
Anne) seven score servants were main- 
tained at Haddon Hall, and the house 
was kept open in the true style of old 
English hospitality during twelve days 
after Christmas. Since then the scenes 
of ancient hospitality and revelry have 
only occasionally been renewed within 
its venerable walls. 

The Duke of Rutland has a shooting 
seat at Stanton Woodhouse, in Darley 
Dale, about half an hour's walk from 
Haddon. It is situated on a natu- 
ral terrace overlooking this beautiful 
dale, which extends from the gates of 
Chatsworth to Matlock. The charac- 
teristic features of the dale are de- 



scribed in Mrs. Sterndale's 'Vignettes' 
as consisting of" little cottages nestling 
beneath their elmy tufts ; the sparry 
road winding along the course of the 
river; the handsome stone bridge of 
several arches that unites its banks, 
and the rising mountains on the oppo- 
site side, partially covered with pines 
and terminating in heathy moors." 

The road descends from Stanton 
Woodhouse to the village of Rowsley, 
which is about a mile distant, where 
there is an excellent inn which is much 
frequented in the season by anglers. 
The Wye flows into the Derwent a 
little below the village. Chatsworth 
is 3 miles distant and Haddon 1| mile. 
Crossing Rowsley Bridge we soon 
reach Matlock. 

SECOND EXCURSION — TO DOVE DALE 
AND ASHBOITRN. 

This excursion will occupy the pedes- 
trian tourist two days, but it may easi- 
ly be made in one day either on horse- 
back or in a carriage. The distance to 
Dove Dale from Matlock is 13 miles, 
through a very delightful country. 
The road lies through Cromford, past 
Grange Mill, over Brassington Moor, 
under the High Peak Railway, and past 
Bradbourn Mill, then fording the 
Schoo, a tributary of the Dove, to 
Tissington. At this little village there 
lingers a peculiarly graceful custom, 
one of those poetical usages of the olden 
time which have almost departed from 
the country, and the loss of which none 
could fail to regret were it not a ne- 
cessary result of that risen standard in 



TISSINGTON. 



107 



die e very-day enjoyments of the peo- 
ple, which, by affording many objects 
to interest the mind that did not for- 
merly exist, and by diminishing the 
distance between the pleasures of ordi- 
nary and festival days, weakens the 
stimulus to their observance. The 
custom which gave occasion to this 
remark is thus described in the ' Peak 
Scenery :' — " An ancient custom still 
prevails in the village of Tissington, 
to which, indeed, it appears to be con- 
fined, for I have not met with any 
thing of a similar description in any 
other part of Derbyshire. It is 
denominated ' Well-flowering,' and 
Holy Thursday is devoted to the rites 
and ceremonies of this elegant custom. 
This day is regarded as a festival, and 
all the wells in the place, five in 
number, are decorated with wreaths 
and garlands of newly-gathered flowers 
disposed in various devices. Some- 
times boards are used, which are cut 
into the figure intended to be repre- 
sented, and covered with moist clay, 
into which the steins of the flowers 
are inserted to preserve their freshness ; 
and they are so arranged as to form a 
beautiful mosaic work, often tasteful 
in design and vivid in colouring. 
i The boards thus adorned are so placed 
in the spring that the water appears to 
issue from amongst beds of flowers. 
On this occasion the villagers put on 
their best attire, and open their houses to 
their friends. There is a service at the 
church, where a sermon is preached ; 
afterwards a procession takes place, 
and the wells are visited in succession ; 



the psalms for the day, the epistle and 
gospel are read, one at each well, and 
the whole concludes with a hymn, 
which is sung by the church-singers, 
accompanied by a band of music. 
After this the people separate, and 
the remainder of the day is spent in 
holiday pastimes." Mr. Adam states 
that the same custom, which was once 
more general in Derbyshire, has been 
revived of late years at Wirksworth 
and Youlgreave. 

Tissington Hall, the seat of Sir 
Henry Fitzherbert, is a fine old man- 
sion with a good avenue of lime-trees. 
The Rev. Richard Grave, author of the 
* Spiritual Quixote,' who resided some 
time in the Fitzherbert family, laid 
some of the scenes of his work in this 
neighbourhood. About 2 miles from 
the hall is the village of Thorp, where 
a guide may be obtained. The en- 
trance to Dove Dale is within a very 
short distance of the village. 

Of the varied scenery for which Der- 
byshire is so much celebrated, its nu- 
merous dales form the most beautiful 
and interesting portion. The first in 
size as well as beauty is the far-famed 
and romantic Dove Dale, so called 
from the River Dove, which pours its 
waters through it. On entering this 
enchanting spot, the sudden change 
of scenery from that of the surround- 
ing .country is powerfully striking. 
The brown heath or richly-cultivated 
meadow is exchanged for rocks abrupt 
and vast, which rise on each side, their 
grey sides harmonised by mosses, lich- 
ens, and yew-trees, and their tops 



108 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 




DOVE DALE. 



109 



sprinkled with mountain -ash. The 
hills that enclose this narrow dell are 
very precipitous, and hear on their 
sides fragments of rock that, in the 
distance, look like the remains of 
ruined castles. After proceeding a 
little way, a deep and narrow valley 
appears, into the recesses of which 
the eye is prevented from penetrating 
by the winding course it pursues, and 
by the shutting in of its precipices, 
which fold into each other and preclude 
all distant view. A further progress 
exhibits an increase of majesty and 
rudeness in the scene. The objects 
which at a distance appeared to have 
been ruins, are found to be rude py- 
ramids of rock and grand isolated 
masses, ornamented with ivy, rising in 
the middle of the vale. The rocks 
which enclose the dale, forcing their 
scattered and uncovered heads into the 
clouds, overhang the narrow path that 
winds ■ through its dark recesses, and, 
frowning in craggy grandeur, and 
shaggy with the dark foliage that grows 
out of the chinks and clings to the 
asperities of the rocks, form a scene 
unrivalled in romantic effect. The 
mountain, which rises in the back- 
ground of the view given above, is 
known by the name of Thorp Cloud. 
On proceeding about a mile into the 
vale, fantastic forms and uncouth com- 
binations are exhibited in vast de- 
tached mural masses, while the sides 
of the dell are perforated by many 
small natural caverns which are diffi- 
cult of access. 
The length of Dove Dale is nearly 3 



miles, and it is in no part more than a 
quarter of a mile wide, while in some 
places it almost closes, scarcely leaving 
room for the passage of its narrow 
river. On the right or Derbyshire 
side of the dale the rocks are more 
bare of vegetation than on the opposite 
or Staffordshire side, where they are 
thickly covered with a fine hanging 
wood of various trees and odoriferous 
shrubs and plants. The frequent 
changes in the motion and appearance 
of the transparent Dove, which is in- 
terspersed with small islands and little 
waterfalls, contribute to diversify the 
scenery of this charming spot ; while 
the rugged, dissimilar, and frequently 
grotesque and fanciful appearance of 
the rocks, gives to it that peculiar 
character by which it is distinguished 
from every other in the kingdom. The 
view in the following page is of a very 
remarkable scene of this description, 
and cannot fail to be immediately re- 
cognised by every one who has had 
the pleasure of visiting the spot. 

The Dove has long been famous 
among anglers ; old Isaac Walton, his 
disciple Cotton, and Sir Humphry 
Davy, have all celebrated it, not only 
for the sport it afforded them, but for 
its natural charms. 

Many of the visitors to Dove Dale 
take the opportunity of visiting Ham 
Hall, on the Staffordshire side of the 
Dove. The mansion was erected a 
few years ago, and is in the Gothic 
style. It is not what is usually termed 
a " show house," but it may be seen by 
parties furnished with a note of intro- 



110 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 




[Scene in Dove Dale.] 



duction to the proprietor, Jesse Watts 
Russell, Esq. The church is a vene- 
rable and picturesque edifice, and con- 
tains an interesting monument *by Sir 
Francis Chantrey. The Hamps and 
Manifold, after pursuing a subter- 
ranean course, emerge near Ham with- 
in a short distance of each other. 



The tourist who is not disposed to 
return to Matlock bn the same day 
will find excellent accommodation at 
the inns in the adjacent town of Ash- 
bourn, or, as it is frequently spelt, Ash- 
burne, or Ashbourne : in ancient 
records it is written Esseburne. The 
town is pleasantly situated in a rich 



ASHBOURN. 



Ill 



valley not far from the east or left bank 
of the Dove. High hills shelter it 
from the cold winds of the north ; and 
to the south-west it looks towards the 
valley mentioned above, where the 
Dove winds through some of the rich- 
est meadows in the kingdom. The 
church is in the form of a cross, with 
a tower rising from the centre, sur- 
mounted by a fine spire. The build- 
ing was probably erected in 1241, as 
there is a memorial in brass of its 
dedication to St. Oswald in that year. 
It is in the early English style, and 
there are several good doorways. The 
walls and buttresses retain the charac- 
teristics of this early architecture ; but 
several parts of the church are of later 
date, and of the decorated English or 
perpendicular styles. It contains many 
monuments of the Cokaine and Booth- 
by families, especially a beautiful 
monument by Banks to the memory 
of Penelope, daughter of Sir Brooke 
Boothby, who died in 1791, at the 
early age of six years. The figure of 
the child asleep, in white marble, has 
been much admired. There was for- 
merly a Presbyterian meeting-house 
in Ashbourn ; and at present there are 
two places of worship, one for the Ge- 
neral or Arminian Baptists, and one 
for the Wesleyan Methodists ; as well 
as one for the Calvinistic Methodists 
(or Lady Huntingdon's Connexion), in 
the suburb of Compton, anciently 
Campdene, which is separated from 
the town on the south side by the 
rivulet Henmore, or Schoo. 
There is at Ashbourn a" grammar- 



school founded by Sir Thomas Cokaine 
and others in 1585 ; and a Mr. Spalden, 
who lived in the beginning of the 18th 
century, by his will (dated 1710), found- 
ed two elementary schools, one ; for 30 
boys and the other for the same num- 
ber of girls. There are several alms- 
houses in the town, which owe their 
origin to different benevolent indivi- 
duals, especially to Mr. Spalden above 
mentioned and to Mr. John Cooper. 

The market is on Saturday, for corn 
and provisions. There are no less than 
eight fairs, all for horses, horned cattle, 
and sheep : wool is sold at the fair in 
July, which is considered the smallest 
fair in the year. Ashbourn does not 
seem to possess any particular manu- 
facture, unless it be of lace ; but there 
are iron and cotton factories in the 
neighbourhood. The chief trade is in 
cheese and malt. 

The parish is very large, and extends 
into three hundreds or wapentakes. 
It has three dependent parochial chapel- 
ries, viz. Alsop-in-the-Dale, Hognaston, 
and Parwick. The population of the 
parish, including that of the town (the 
population of the town was 2246) and 
of the chapelries, was 5699 in 1831, and 
the whole area was 16,490 acres. The 
living is a vicarage, of which the Dean 
of Lincoln is patron. The rectory of 
Mapleton is annexed to it. The rec- 
tory of Ashbourn was granted by Wil- 
liam II. (Rufus) to the church of St. 
Mary, in Lincoln, and to the bishop of 
that see and his successors : but by 
some arrangement at a remote period 
it was attached to the deanery of that 



112 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



see, and is now leased out by the dean. 
Ashbourn is in the archdeaconry of 
Derby, and the diocese of Lichfield and 
Coventry. 

Ashbourn was the scene of some con- 
tests during the war between Charles I. 
and the Parliament. In Feb. 1644, 
the troops of the latter were victorious 
over the royalists. The young Pre- 
tender passed through Ashbourn in his 
retreat from Derby, in 1745. 

Ashbourn Hall is the residence of Sir 
William Boothby, and in the neigh- 
bourhood is the cottage inhabited by 
Mr. Moore while writing 'Lalla 
Rookh.' Many of Congreves letters 
are dated from Ashbourn. The sce- 
nery in the neighbourhood is very 
beautiful. 

Ashbourn is 12 miles from Matlock 
and 13 miles from the Railway Station 
at Derby, 20 miles from Buxton, and 
139 from London. Alton Towers, 
which is frequently visited by tourists 
from Matlock, is 9 miles from Ash- 
bourn. 

THIRD EXCURSION. 

The druidical remains at Arbor Low, 
the Router Rocks, Robin Hood's Stride, 
the masses of rocks bearing the names 
of Roo Tor, Bradley Tor, &c, are all 
within a short distance of Matlock, and 
are objects of attraction to the anti- 
quarian, the artist, and the lover of 
singular and picturesque scenery. The 
best plan of visiting them is to proceed 
through the hamlet of Winsley, and 
Winster, the latter a small market- 
town and chapelry in the parish of 



Youlgreave. The rocks are on the 
right of Winster, near Router and 
Birchover, and on Stanton Moor. 

The Router Rocks are at the southern 
extremity of Stanton Moor, a wild- 
looking rocky waste about 2 miles in 
length and 1^ in breadth. They con- 
sist of masses of grit-stone, some of 
them rising to the height of 150 feet, 
and are spread over a space about 
80 yards long. These massive piles 
are placed in such a position as to ap- 
pear partly a work of design ; and 
though they may in some instances 
have been thus fixed, yet the general 
arrangement is undoubtedly natural. 
Router or Roo-tor Rocks have probably 
derived their appellation from the 
rocking-stones which were at one time 
found near the summit, the word " roo" 
being still a provincial expression for 
anything which rocks to and fro. There 
is at the east end of this mass of rocks 
a vast block weighing it is supposed 
about 50 tons, which could at onetime be 
shaken by a very slight exertion, but 
it was immoveably fixed about 40 years 
ago by a party of young men who threw 
it out of its equilibrium. The bottom 
of this once moveable mass of rock is 
rather convex, and the rock on which it 
rests has a corresponding concave form. 
Near this block are several others still 
in a state of equilibrium and capable of 
being easily moved. About a quarter 
of a mile west of the Router Rocks is 
another assemblage of rocks somewhat 
similar in appearance, called Bradley 
Tor, on the upper part of which is a 
rocking-stone resting upon two stones, 



THIRD EXCURSION. 



113 



which give it the resemblance of a door- 
way. The upper part, however, is of a 
globular form, resembling the Cornish 
Tolmen which Dr. Borlase was led to 
. think had been a gigantic idol. On the 
south-west side of Stanton Moor there 
are three rocky eminences rising from 
a craggy ridge, and which bear the name 
of Cardiff Rocks, Graned Tor, and 
Durwood Tor. There are several rock- 
basins on the top of the former. 
Graned Tor is also called Robin Hood's 
Stride and Mock Beggars Hall, from 
two masses of rock at each end which 
• bear some resemblance to chimneys. 
Mr. Adam thus describes and accounts 
for the appearance of this singular 
mass of rocks : — " Two lofty masses 
occupy the top of an eminence which is 
fenced round by broken and rounded 
fragments of huge dimensions, and 
have the appearance of rocks still 
exposed to the action of water and the 
rolling in of heavy seas, which fret and 
i foam through their rents and hollows 
1 at every tide, dashing their spray 
i over their loftiest pinnacles. This illu- 
* sion would be complete but for the 
i dwarf oaks and hazel bushes which 
\ beautifully mantle their southern side. 
; But the supposition is not simply con- 
.1 jectural as to their original condition, 
I when viewed geologically, which sup- 
\ poses all our present continents to 
I have been at one time under water ; 
I and the rolling in of these tides may 

1 have scooped out the hollow basins sup- 
it posed by some to be artificial.'' This 

2 alludes to what are called " rock-basins," 
I of which there are several on Graned 



Tor. That some of these have been 
cut with tools is very probable, and is 
quite apparent in the case of one of an 
oval form 4 feet in length and 2 feet 10 
inches wide. On the top of Durwood 
Tor are three basins, all probably artifi- 
cial, and there is an overhanging crag, 
beneath which is what antiquarians 
have termed an "augurial seat/' Tint 
this neighbourhood abounds with monu- 
ments of a very remote antiquity can- 
not be doubted, but the antiquarian is 
often tempted to invest with an hi-: « >ri- 
cal interest objects which have been 
moulded into their present artificial 
form by the lapse of ages and the effects 
of the elements. Mr. Adam considers 
that "all the rock-basins, as well as 
the rocking-stones, are merely the 
effect of the elements for so many ai^'s. 
which rage with immense fury on such 
elevated and exposed points. The 
grit-stone being particularly soft, and 
inadhesive in part, and that very un- 
equally, the softer are easily fretted 
away by the action of every tempest, 
and hence the rounded, neat, and de- 
siccated appearance of the rocks ; and 
hence also the existence of such numer- 
ous oval and circular basins which 
occupy the summits, frequently filled 
with water. From the same cause the 
dome-like cavities arise, forming caves, 
&c, by the line of separation being 
curvilinear." If these tors, which 
are found with circles and rock-basins, 
were really used by the Druids, why, 
they must have found them there, and 
appropriated them to their purposes. 
" Here, too," say the authors of the 



114 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



' Magna Britannia,' speaking of Der- 
byshire, "as in Cornwall, among the 
detached masses of grit-stone, many 
rocking-stones have been found, and 
rock-basins in abundance, and, as usual, 
ascribed to the Druids : but, as we have 
before observed, we are inclined to 
refer the greater part of these to na- 
tural causes ; indeed with respect to the 
round hollows in the grit-stone rocks, 
which have for ages been exposed to 
the effects of the atmosphere, we ob- 
served as many of them on the perpen- 
dicular sides of the rock as on the top." 

It demands therefore some discrimi- 
nation in determining the natural from 
the artificial and historical objects in 
these places. There is in fact a good 
deal of artificial work of comparatively 
recent date about the rocks and tors. 
Rude chairs and benches commanding 
extensive views have been chiselled 
out. At Durwood, however, an urn 
was discovered in the last century half 
full of burnt bones, and near it two 
ancient querns or hand-mill stones, 
the upper surfaces being flat and the 
under ones convex. One of these 
stones was about 4J inches thick and 
nearly a foot in diameter, the under 
stone being much smaller. 

An ancient work called Castle Ring, 
supposed to be a British encampment, 
will be found about a quarter of a mile 
west of the valley which separates 
Hartle Moor from Stanton Moor. It 
was of an elliptical form, 243 feet long 
by 165 feet wide at the broadest part. 
The ditch and double vallum by which 
it was surrounded have been nearly 



obliterated. Towards the north-west end 
of Stanton Moor there is a Latin inscrip- 
tion cut out upon two rocks about two 
centuries ago by the proprietor of the 
estate. There is a druidical circle 
on Stanton Moor, about half a mile 
north-east of the Router Rocks, called 
the Nine Ladies. It is eleven yards in 
diameter, and consists of nine stones of 
rude shape and irregular dimensions. 
Cairns and barrows exist in the neigh- 
bourhood, which, on being opened, were 
found to contain the remains of a com- 
paratively uncivilized age. In one was 
found an urn of coarse clay, 10 inches 
in height and 3 feet 3 inches in circum- 
ference, and enclosing a smaller urn : 
both contained burnt bones and ashes. 
Human bones and a large blue glass 
bead were found under one of the 
cairns. 

The most important druidical re- 
mains in Derbyshire are those of Arbor 
Low, an elevated moor to the right of 
the road from Ashbourn to Buxton, a 
little beyond Newhaven Inn. Their 
form is that of an elliptical area of 
52 yards by 46, (having the greater dia- 
meter in a direction north and south,) 
enclosed by a ditch 6 yards broad, and 
an outer bank formed of the soil thrown 
out from the ditch, 5 yards high on the 
inside. In the enclosure there are 
openings or entrances on the north and 
south sides about 14 yards wide, and 
adjacent to the southern entrance is a 
small mound or barrow. About 30 rough 
unhewn stones, 5 feet long by 3 
broad, and 1 foot thick, lie round the en- 
closure, having their smaller ends point- 



FOURTH EXCURSION. 



115 



ing towards the centre : there is reason 
to think these once stood obliquely on 
one end. About 14 smaller stones are 
intermingled with these in an irregular 
manner, and there are three stones 
lying near the centre, one of which 
is larger than any other within the 
area. 

FOURTH EXCURSION. — TO WINFIELD 

MANOR-HOUSE AND HARDWICK 

HALL. 

A visit to these places from Matlock 
may be made partly by railway or 
entirely by the country roads. In the 
former case the tourist will proceed to 
the Amber Gate Station, 6 miles from 
Matlock, by the road already described, 
and take the train to the Winfield 
Station, from which the ruins are not 
a mile distant. Then returning to the 
station he will take another train to 
the Tupton Station, 4 miles from 
Winfield, and will then have a pleasant 
walk across the country, past North 
Winfield church. Hardwick is about 4 
miles from the Tupton Station. Both 
Winfield Manor and Hardwick Hall 
are noticed in a previous chapter 
(pp. 70 and 72). 

The tourist who proceeds to these 
places on horseback or in a carriage 
will pass by Lea, Holloway,and Crich, 
through a country of swelling emi- 
nences, which gradually subside on 
approaching the eastern side of the 
county. The small hamlet of Lea is in 
a very picturesque situation ; the hills 
around it are well wooded, and a clear 
stream runs through the village. A 



hat-manufactory, a spinning-mill, and 
smelting-works are situated on this 
stream, and their machinery is put in 
motion by its current. These build- 
ings do not destroy the picturesque 
appearance of the scenery, indeed iron- 
works frequently add to its effect, 
especially where the surrounding land- 
scape has a character of wildness about 
it. Holloway is situated under a 
lofty crag composed of the millstone- 
grit ; and a mile beyond the village 
the road bends suddenly to the left, and 
we soon reach a deep and well-wooded 
ravine which Mr. Adam states " sepa- 
rates the towering limestone mass of 
Crich Cliff from the lesser .eminences 
of the millstone-grit." This cliff is a 
lofty hill composed of the carboniferous 
limestone which has been uplifted 
through the different measures of shale 
and sandstone. It abounds in rich veins 
of lead ore, and the Wakebridge and 
Gingler mines have of late years been 
the most profitable in Derbyshire. 
Large quantities of lime are obtained 
from the quarries at Crich, which when 
burnt is very widely distributed, the 
North Midland Railway, to which 
there is a branch from Crich, having 
given new facilities for this purpose. 
The small market-town of Crich is in 
a bleak situation at one end of the 
cliff. There are extensive views in the 
vicinity, which include Masson Low 
and Middleton and Cromford moors to 
the nortH-west, and in other directions 
Crich Chace extending towards Belper, 
also the Shining Cliff, Longnor Woods, 
the landscape being a combination 



116 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



of sylvan and cultivated scenes with 
those of a wild and more rugged 
character, the former predominating 
as we approach South Winfield, which 
is 2 miles from Crich. Here we 
touch upon the eastern edge of the 
Yorkshire and Derbyshire coal-field, 
which extends from Derby to Leeds. 
Crich Stand is a conspicuous object for 
many miles round, and from it the eye 
commands views into five different 
counties, and on favourable days a sight 
of Lincoln Minster. From the Manor 



the road to Hardwick lies through the 
villages of South Winfield, Stretton, 
Morton, Tibshelf, and HardstafF. 

Winfield Manor-House, Hardwick 
Hall, and Newstead Abbey (the latter 
in Nottinghamshire) are sometimes 
visited by parties who set out from and 
return to Matlock in one day. 

By the carriage-road from Matlock 
to Winfield and Hardwick the dis- 
tance is about 17 miles, but pedestrians 
may take a shorter route. 



117 



CHAPTER VIII. 



BUXTON. 



Buxton may be advantageously se- 
lected as another central place in which 
the tourist may establish his quarters 
for a brief period, with a view of visit- 
ing the most interesting spots in the 
High Peak. The population of Buxton 
in 1831 was not more than 1211, while 
the hotels and lodging-houses are cal- 
culated to afford accommodation to 
1500 visitors : 40 years ago the num- 
ber of inhabitants was about 400, and 
700 visitors could be accommodated. 
Buxton is 38 miles from Derby through 
Ashbourn, and is on the high road 
from London to Manchester, the latter 
place being 25 miles distant. The 
North Midland Railway will enable 
the visitor from London to reach 
Buxton in less than 12 hours. Arriv- 
ing at Derby by the London and 
Birmingham and .Midland Counties 
Railways, he will proceed by the North 
Midland Railway to the Amber Gate Sta- 
tion, where omnibuses for Matlock, and 
coaches for Buxton, await the arrival 
of the principal trains. The road 
to Matlock, 6 miles from Amber Gate, 
has already been described (p. 83). 
The road next passes through Bake- 
well and Ashford, the bold Peak of the 
Finn being on the right, and Tadding- 



ton Moors on the left. Soon after 
crossing the Wye, the road brings us 
to the south opening of Monsal Dale. 
Another vale of great beauty, Tadding- 
ton Dale, is at the extremity of Monsal 
Dale. As the road approaches the 
village of Taddington, rude masses of 
cliff and crag, and wood-crowned emi- 
nences, render the scenery v^ry strik- 
ing; and the moorlands rise in the 
distance and bound the horizon. 
The road above Taddington village is 
the most elevated in Derbyshire, and 
objects upon it, seen from the vale 
below Topley Pike, are diminished 
to a fairy size. The Wye forms a 
charming feature in the landscape as 
it pursues its course amidst fragments 
of rock which are scattered in its bed, 
and render its current turbulent and 
impetuous, offering a contrast to the 
deep and silent pools in which it here 
and there flows for a time in silence. 
The banks of the river are also highly 
picturesque, their steep, and in some 
parts perpendicular sides being clothed 
with patches of dwarf fir and under- 
wood. The river emerges at a part of 
the dale called the Lover's Leap, and, 
with the road, passes between an open- 
ing in the limestone rock, the masses 



118 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



of which on each side resemble a vast 
portal. The remainder of the road to 
Buxton is not particularly striking. 

Buxton is situated in the lower part 
of a deep valley or basin, surrounded 
by bleak hills and extensive tracts of 
moorland. It would be entirely envi- 
roned with mountains but for the nar- 
row ravine down which the river Wye 
flows on its way to the Derwent, pa- 
rallel with the high road which leads 
to Bakewell. Axe Edge, on the Leek 
road, 3 miles from Buxton, is, next to 
Kinder-scout, the highest mountain in 
the N.W. of Derbyshire, being 1000 
feet above the valley in which Buxton 
Crescent stands, and 2100 feet higher 
than the town of Derby. From this 
mountain four rivers issue in opposite 
directions— the Wye, the Dove, the 
Goyte, and the Dane. Chee Tor, a per- 
pendicular and stupendous rock of 
limestone 360 feet high, is situated 
near the village of Wormhill, and 
about 5 miles from Buxton. A few 
miles farther is Mam Tor, 1300 feet 
above the valley in which it stands ; 
and a little east, the still higher peaks 
of Winhill and Losehill, which may be 
distinguished by their form from all 
the mountains in the county. The 
sterility which once formed the chief 
feature in the scenery round Buxton 
is fast disappearing. Extensive woods 
and plantations now clothe the sides 
and summits of many of the neigh- 
bouring hills. 

Buxton consists of two parts, the 
old and the new town. The former 
stands upon much higher ground than 



the latter, and has still the remains of 
a cross in the centre of the market- 
place. The main street is wide, and 
contains a few good inns and lodging- 
houses, but the buildings in general 
are old and low. This was formerly 
the only entrance from the west into 
Buxton, until a new road was made a 
few years ago, which avoids the old 
town and joins the London road at 
the church. The new part of the town 
may be said to begin at the Crescent 
and to stretch along the Bakewell road, 
the buildings of which form a hand- 
some entrance to the town on that side, 
and afford many pleasant residences 
to those who seek more privacy than 
can be had at the public hotels. 

The Crescent at Buxton is in the 
form of a segment of a circle. The 
basement story is a rustic arcade, form- 
ing a piazza 7 feet wide within. Over 
the arches a balustrade runs along the 
whole building. Above the piers are 
Doric pilasters that support an orna- 
mental architrave and cornice, which 
is terminated by another balustrade, 
in the centre of which, cut out of stone, 
are, placed the arms of the Cavendish 
family. This extensive and elegant 
structure is three stories high, and con- 
tains 378 windows. It comprises two 
hotels, a library, an assembly-room 75 
feet long, and a news-room, besides the 
baths and a few private residences. 
The stables, as complete and extensive 
as the Crescent itself, occupy a large 
site of ground on the hill behind the 
chief structure, but divided from it by 
the main road. They are built in a 



BUXTON. 



119 



circular form, and have a covered ride 
160 yards round. This immense pile 
of building was erected by the late Duke 
of Devonshire, in 1781, at a cost of 
120,000/. The stone employed in the 
foundations and inner walls was found 
near the spot ; and the fine freestone, 
used in the front and sides of the build- 
ing, was dug out of a quarry not a mile 
distant. 

At the western end of the Crescent, 
and nearly adjoining it, is the old hall, 
the most ancient building in the lower 
part of Buxton, having been erected 
in the reign of Elizabeth by the Earl of 
Shrewsbury, in whose custody Mary, 
queen of Scots, was placed. In one of 
her visits to Buxton, the queen occu- 
pied apartments in this building, which 
are still shown as hers, on one of the 
windows of which were scratched the 
lines said to have been written by her 
on her departure. 

Buxtona, quae calidse celebrabere nomine lymphae, 

Forte mini posthac non aduenda, vale. 
Buxton, farewell ! no more perhaps my feet 
Thy famous tepid streams shall ever greet. 

This house was consideraly enlarged in 
1670, and though inferior to the more 
fashionable hotels in the Crescent, is 
preferred by many families on account 
of its having baths fitted up within its 
walls. 

The public baths at Buxton are very 
numerous, and are fitted up with every 
attention to the convenience of the 
visitors. The common tepid baths all 
lie together at the western end of the 
Crescent, forming a part of the lower 
story. Besides a public bath, around 



two sides of which are numerous dress- 
ing-rooms, there are two private baths 
for gentlemen, and the same number 
for ladies. At the opposite end of the 
Crescent, adjoining the piazzas, are two 
hot baths, and vapour and shower baths, 
all heated by steam, which are supplied 
from what is called Bingham's Well. 
Most of these are lined with white 
marble, and the temperature of the hot 
baths is most accurately adjusted by an 
ingenious contrivance for the introduc- 
tion of cold and hot water. 

At the extreme end of the town, on 
the Macclesfield road, is a cold bath, 
said to be of the same temperature as 
the waters at Matlock (66° Fahrenheit). 

The well at which the water is sup- 
plied to those who resort to it is in a 
small building, in the style of a Grecian 
temple, in front of the western wing of 
the Crescent. In the centre of this 
tasteful building, called St. Ann's Well, 
is a white marble basin, into which the 
water issues from the spring. By the 
side of this basin is a double pump, 
from which either hot or cold water 
may be procured within a few inches of 
each other. The spring flows at the 
rate of 60 gallons a minute, the water 
being somewhat colder than the waters 
at Bath, but warmer than those of Mat- 
lock and Bristol. Besides what is pro- 
perly called the Buxton water, there is 
a chalybeate spring of a rough strong 
taste, issuing from a chalky stratum on 
the north side of the river Wye, at the 
side of the turnpike-road behind the 
Crescent, over which a neat stone struc- 
ture has been erected by the Duke of 



120 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



Devonshire, to preserve it for the use I 
of visitors. Mixed with the other, this j 
water proves purgative. 

The waters of Buxton have a lower 
temperature than those of the southern 
or Gloucestershire and Somersetshire 
group, except Bristol. They , are of 
the calcareous class of mineral waters, 
and rise in a valley situated on the west 
edge of the great limestone range, which 
extends through the county of Derby 
from Castleton southwards, comprising 
what is termed the Peak Forest. The 
surface of this district is occupied, ac- 
cording to Farey, by the outcrop of 
four strata of limestone and three beds 
of amygdaloid or toadstone, interposed 
between the limestone strata ; but it 
should be observed that this division of 
the limestone by regular beds of toad- 
stone has been stoutly denied, and at 
present is not generally received. 
Above the upper stratum of limestone 
is a coarse sand-stone or millstone-grit, 
considered by many as the inferior bed 
of the coal formation, which occupies 
the whole country east and north of 
this district. Buxton is immediately 
to the south of the outgoing of the 
lowest stratum of limestone. The lime- 
stone, which is of a whitish or yellowish 
colour, is full of encrinites, madrepores, 
and other organic remains. The direc- 
tion of the strata is generally north and 
south. A remarkable fault is observed 
in the valley of the Derwentat Matlock : 
the upper bed of limestone on the wes- 
tern side of the valley is brought down 
below the second bed on the east, and 
the upper bed of toadstone on the one 



side is nearly on the same level with 
the second bed on the other. The fault 
is said to extend north as far as Buxton, 
where it takes a north-western direction 
to North Brad well, and terminates at 
Litton near Tideswell ; but both the 
direction and extent of this fault have 
been much disputed. It is in the 
course of this fault that the thermal 
springs of Buxton and Matlock are 
found. That of Buxton possesses the 
higher temperature, viz. 82° Fahr., 
which never varies at any hour of the 
day or season of the year. This water 
has been long celebrated for its medi- 
cinal virtues. It is more remarkable 
for the nature of its gaseous impregna- 
tions than for the quantity or nature of 
its saline ingredients. By a recent 
analysis it appears to contain only 15 
grains of solid contents in each wine- 
gallon. According to Mr. Gairdner 
its composition is — 
Of gaseous contents — 

Cubic inches * 
per Gallon. 

Carbonic acid 1 *50 

Nitrogen . 4*G4 

6-14 

Of solid contents — 

Grains 
per Gallon. 
Hydrochlorate of magnesia . ... *38 

,, soda 2-40 

Sulphate of lime "60 

Carbonate of lime 10 '40 

Extractive matter and vegetable fibres *50 
(Loss) '52 

1500 

Owing to the quantity of calcareous 
matter, the water is hard. It sparkles 



BUXTON. 



121 



a little when first received at the 
fount. It is exceedingly clear, and does 
not become turbid by long exposure to 
the air. Over the bath a stratum of 
vapour hovers, which is more or less 
dense according to the state of the 
weather and the degree of attention 
paid to the ventilation of the apartment. 
The chalybeate spring contains about 
half a grain of carbonate of iron in each 
gallon, and is a soft water. 

The waters issuing from the warm 
spring are employed both internally and 
externally. A course of the water inter- 
nally is generally taken at the same 
time as the baths are used ; but in some 
habits of body the one mode only is ad- 
missible. Persons of the sanguineous 
temperament, especially if plethoric, can 
rarely take the waters internally, with- 
out at least previously undergoing some 
preparatory treatment, — either vene- 
section, cupping, or the use of purgative 
medicines. During all acute inflamma- 
tory diseases they must be avoided ; and 
though very beneficial to persons subject 
to gout and rheumatism, the waters 
must not be employed either when an 
attack of the disease is approaching, or 
while much pain of the joints remains 
when the disease is receding. Persons 
in whom the digestive organs are feeble, 
either naturally or from the effects of 
what is termed good living, derive, 
i in general, much benefit from the in- 
: ternal use of these waters. In most 
cases they should be taken early in 
the morning, after the bath, if these 
two modes be employed simultane- 
ously. The quantity to be used should 



not at first exceed half a pint, taken 
in two equal portions, a quarter of an 
hour (during which the invalid will 
walk along the terrace when prac- 
ticable) being allowed to intervene 
between the two glasses. About noon 
the same quantity should be again 
taken, observing similar rules. Some 
patients are however obliged to restrict 
themselves to its use during the fore- 
noon, omitting the morning do'se. Xo 
one should exceed a pint and a half in 
the course of each day. 

The chalybeate water is sometimes 
used at the same time, and it is said that 
a mixture of the two forms a purgative 
draught. Upon the propriety of using 
the chalybeate at any period during his 
stay, the invalid must consult his medi- 
cal adviser on the spot. It ought never 
to be used as a common drink, more 
particularly by persons of a plethoric 
habit of body. 

The warm baths may be employed 
even by the most delicate persons, pro- 
vided bathing in any form be proper. 
At first the stay in the bath should not 
exceed one minute, as the plunge is the 
most beneficial part of the process. 
The time may be gradually extended, 
but should never exceed fifteen minutes. 
Where a general bath cannot be borne 
by gouty or rheumatic patients, pump- 
ing the water upon the affected joints is 
frequently highly efficacious in reduc- 
ing the swelling and restoring flexibil- 
ity. During the use of the baths no 
mercurial medicines of any kind should 
be taken, unless under the direction of 
a competent medical adviser on the 



122 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



spot. There is an excellent institution 
for enabling poor patients to avail them- 
selves of the Buxton waters. It is sup- 
ported by collections at two annual 
sermons, by subscriptions, and by the 
voluntary payment of Is. from each 
visitor at Buxton. Several hundred 
patients are annually benefited by this 
charity. 

The number of visitors at Buxton 
varies from 12,000 to 14,000 annually ; 
as already stated, there are accommoda- 
tions for 1,500 at one time. The season 
commences in June, and ends in 
October. 

The church at Buxton is an elegant 
modern edifice, built in 1812 by the 
Duke of Devonshire, its patron, adjoin- 
ing to which is a large burial-ground. 
The living is a perpetual curacy in the 
diocese of Lichfield. The building 
formerly used as a church is now con- 
verted into a school upon Dr. Bell's 
plan, having endowments which amount 
to 94/. per annum. There are places 
of worship in Buxton for Presbyterians, 
Independents, and Wesleyan Metho- 
dists. 

The market is held on Saturday : and 
the fairs on February 3rd, April 1st, 
and -May 2nd, besides a cattle-fair on 
the 8th of September. The town is in 
the honour of Tutbury, duchy of Lan- 
caster, and within the jurisdiction of a 
court held at Tutbury every third Tues- 
day, for the recovery of debts under 40 
shillings. 

The public walks at Buxton, of 
which there is great variety, are laid 
out with much taste, and ornamented 



with shrubs and plantations. Walks 
have been formed and rendered very 
attractive along the banks of the Wye, 
the stream being deepened artificially 
here and there, while in others it is led 
over little cascades. The " Duke's 
Drive," made at the sole expense of the 
Duke of Devonshire, is partly carried 
along the heights which skirt Wye 
Dale, and commands wild and pic- 
turesque views. The environs of Bux- 
ton abound with natural curiosities and 
romantic scenery. The high perpen- 
dicular crags on the Bake well road, 
bordering the valley of the Wye, make 
it the most interesting, as it is the most 
accessible of all the scenery in the im- 
mediate vicinity of Buxton. At the 
distance of about half a mile, in a dif- 
ferent direction, are the limestone 
quarries and Pool's Hole. The latter is 
a cavern of considerable dimensions in 
a limestone rock, contracted in its 
entrance, but spacious in the interior. 
The sides of the mountain are partly 
occupied by dwellings, not built, but 
excavated out of the ashes which have 
been thrown out from the lime-kilns. 
A considerable quantity of lime is burnt 
here, and sent into distant parts by the 
Peak Forest Railway, which is near. 
At a little distance from the mountain 
beneath which is Pool's Hole, is a place 
called ''Diamond Hill," from its furnish- 
ing specimens of quartz of an hexago- 
nal shape, which are known by the 
name of Buxton diamonds, the whitest 
of which have the property of cutting 
glass. About five miles from Buxton, 
at Barmour C lough, by the side of the 



BUXTON. 



123 



road leading to Castleton, is an inter- 
mittent spring, called " the Ebbing and 
Flowing Well." 

There are many shops in Buxton 
for the sale of the mineral productions 
of the Peak manufactured into various 
articles of ornament and use, besides 
fossils and specimens of natural curi- 
osities. Among these is the beautiful 
spar, denominated "Blue John," for- 



merly used in repairing the roads, but 
now worked into the most elegant 
vases, and purchased at the price of 
forty guineas a ton. This spar is found 
near Mam Tor or the Shivering Moun- 
tain, in the neighbourhood of Castleton. 
We shall direct the tourist to some of 
the most interesting of these places in 
the next chapter. 



124 



CHAPTER IX. 



EXCURSIONS FROM BUXTON* 



There is no other county in England 
which affords such a variety of scenery 
as Derbyshire, or which presents so 
striking a contrast in geographical fea- 
tures as that which its northern and 
southern portions exhibit. The south- 
ern part of Derbyshire is a pleasant, 
fertile district, not distinguished in its 
general aspect from the other midland 
counties ; but the northern abounds 
with hill and dale, and the scenery is 
often romantic and sublime. The 
country gradually rises for about 15 
miles to the northward, and afterwards 
begins to assume that mountainous 
appearance which it continues to possess 
to the extremity. A chain of hills arises 
which extends to the borders of Scot- 
land. These hills are at first of small 
elevation ; but, being in their progress 
piled one on another, they form very 
elevated ground in the tract called the 
High Peak. The mountains of the 
Peak, although inferior to those of Cum- 
berland, constitute the loftiest and most 
considerable range in the midland 
regions of the kingdom. The highest 
points are Axe-edge, which is 2100 feet 
above the level of Derby, and Kinder- 
scout, which is 1000 feet higher than 
the level of Buxton. About 700 emi- 



nences and 50 rocky caverns, dells, and 
valleys, have been enumerated in the 
region of the Peak. 

To commence with the places of in- 
terest in the immediate vicinity of Bux- 
ton : first we have Pool's Hole, distant 
only about a mile. This is a cavern in 
the limestone measure, the entrance to 
which is so low for the first 25 yards 
that the visitor is unable to walk up- 
right. The fissure then widens into 
a spacious cavern, the roof of which 
displays spiral masses of stalactites, 
formed like icicles, by the dropping of 
water impregnated with calcareous 
matter. In other cases the water 
dropping on the floor constitutes masses 
of stalagmite, one of which, of great 
size, occurs nearly in the middle of the 
cavern, and is called the Flitch of 
Bacon. The cavern is here narrow, but 
soon after again widens and continues 
to do so until the visitor reaches a very 
large mass of stalactite called the Queen 
of Scots' Pillar, tradition having re- 
corded that Mary during her sojourn 
at Buxton advanced thus far into the 
cavern. Few strangers proceed be- 
yond this point, and there is nothing 
sufficiently interesting to repay them 
for the trouble : the cavern terminates 



EXCURSIONS FROM BUXTON. 



125 



at about 95 yards beyond the pillar | 
above mentioned. The passage by 
which visitors return is for some dis- 
tance under the road by which they 
enter ; and here also various masses of 
stalactite occur, the forms of which are 
constantly undergoing transformation, 
though they are called by some fancied 
resemblance which they once bore to 
particular objects. The charge made by 
the guides for showing the cavern is 
one shilling. 

Diamond Hill is another short walk, 
being about 2 miles from Buxton. 
Here in a valley or ravine, between 
Grinlow and Landman's Low, are to 
be found the " diamonds." Mr. Adam 
states that these crystals belong to the 
limestone measures, which are often 
productive of fine quartz crystals. The 
ravine is traversed by t he vein of a 
; mine now worked for' sulphate of 
i barytes, the principal shaft of which is 
j about a mile to the north-eastward, and 
the refuse of the old workings accumu- 
lated here has been probably brought 
from considerable depths. The crystals 
are often found perfect hexagons, ter- 
minated by six-sided pyramids; per- 
fectly clear, others reddish brown, being 
coloured with oxide of iron, and are 
from an eighth of an inch long to 
one inch. From having found these 
crystals in a dell of the limestone near 
Winster, Mr. Adam is inclined to think 
that they originate in the toadstone, the 
disintegration of which proceeds ra- 
pidly whenever it is exposed. 

Close to Diamond Hill there is a 
tower built by the Duke of Devonshire, 



commanding a view of Kinderscout, 
Lord's Seat, Axe Edge, and other emi- 
nences in the Peak district. 

Another excursion which attracts 
the visitors of Buxton is to Chee Tor, 
about 4 miles from Buxton. It is 
usual to have a guide to this mass of 
limestone rocks, which rises above 300 
feet perpendicular from the river Wye, 
something like a half-moon battery in 
form. The rocks opposite rise from 
an elevation which ascends gradually 
from the margin of the river, and are of 
a concave or semi-circular form, Chee 
Tor itself being a bold convex projec- 
tion. Its base is washed by the river, 
and upward to its summit neither 
lichens nor mosses colour its surface. 
The valley here has no other sounds than 
those which the waters make, and the 
scene, as well as the feelings which it 
creates, are singularly striking and 
impressive. Mr. Rhodes remarks that 
"it is scarcely possible to imagine a 
place more abundantly stored with 
picturesque materials and studies for 
the artist than this secluded dell/' 

Parties frequently make a point of 
visiting Miller's Dale, Cresbrook, Mon- 
sal Dale, and Ashford, at the same time 
as Chee Tor : the. two latter places have 
been already noticed. In proceeding 
from Chee Tor to Miller's Dale there 
is an eminence overlooking the latter 
which commands a view of an extraor- 
dinary number of lofty peaks. Miller's 
Dale is one of the most beautiful of 
the minor dales : one end is bounded 
by Raven's Tor, an immense impend- 
ing rock. The character of these 



126 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



dales is thus described by Mr. Rhodes : 
" That part of Derbyshire, known by 
the name of the High Peak, is every- 
where composed of a succession of 
hills, of a greater or lesser elevation, 
and intervening dales which play into 
each other in various directions. 
Throughout the whole the same gene- 
ral character prevails. A thin mossy 
verdure, often intermingled with grey 
barren rock, adorns their sides ; and 
sometimes the interference of what 
Mr. Farey has denominated 'inde- 
structible limestone rubble ' disfigures 
their steep acclivities. Yet even then 
a little brushwood occasionally breaks 
in to enliven and diversify the other- 
wise sterile scene. These remarks 
particularly apply to the minor dales 
of Derbyshire. Those which form the 
channels of the principal rivers are of 
a more elevated description, and possess, 
in an eminent degree, that variety of 
object, form, and colour, which is essen- 
tial to picturesque beauty, sometimes 
united with a magnitude of parts where 
grandeur and sublimity preside in 
solitary stillness. — Travellers, accus- 
tomed to well-wooded and highly cul- 
tivated scenes only, have frequently 
expressed a feeling bordering on dis- 
gust at the bleak and barren appear- 
ance of the mountains in the Peak of 
Derbyshire ; but to the man whose 
taste is unsophisticated by a fondness 
for artificial adornments, they possess 
superior interest and impart more pleas- 
ing sensations. Remotely seen they 
are often beautiful. Many of their 
forms, even when near, are decidedly 



good; and in distance the features of 
rudeness, by which they are occasionally 
marked, are softened down into gene- 
ral and harmonious masses. The grace- 
ful and long-continued outline which 
they present, the breadth of light and 
shadow that spreads over their ex- 
tended surfaces, and the delightful 
colouring with which they are some- 
times invested, never fail to attract 
the attention of the picturesque tra- 
veller." 

From Raven's Tor there is only 
a path for foot-passengers, the carriage 
road leaving the Dale at the mill. The 
view on approaching Cressbrook is 
very extensive, commanding the peaks 
and lofty hills all round, while below 
lies the dale from which we have just 
emerged. Monsal Dale and Ashford 
complete the tour, and the tourist may 
return another way, by Taddington 
Dale. 

A favourite pedestrian trip may be 
made to Axe Edge, 3 miles west of Bux- 
ton, the prospect from which, on a fa- 
vourable day, embraces the mountains of 
North Wales in one direction. It at- 
tains an elevation of 1751 feet above the 
level of the sea, and four rivers, the 
Dove, the Wye, the Dane, and the 
Goyte, have their sources within its re- 
cesses, the two former flowing into the 
Humber, and the other two into the 
Mersey, the basin of the Humber and 
Mersey being divided by a ridge, one 
of the highest points of which is Lord's 
Seat, 1751 feet high. Mr. Adam ob- 
serves that " from the summit of Axe 
Edge, the lower and beautifully wooded 



EXCURSION TO CASTLETON. 



127 



vales and fine undulating eminences 
of the saliferous limestone seem to be 
laid out at the spectator's feet." The 
pedestrian will, we feel assured, be well 
repaid for the trouble of ascending this 
commanding point. 

A visit to Combe's Moss, about 3 
miles north-west of Buxton, will prove 
a gratifying morning's ramble. The 
road from Buxton to Manchester passes 
over the lower part of Combe's Moss ; 
and at the distance of two miles from 
Buxton, the road attains an elevation of 
about 1500 feet above the level of the sea. 
Nothing but blank moors are seen 
around, and the whole aspect of nature 
is desolate ; and yet on descending the 
inclined plane, a distance of 5 miles 
brings us to the rich meadows of Che- 
shire, which we enter by crossing the 
Goyte at Whaley Bridge ; and there 
the valley is alive with a numerous 
population who are employed in the 
cotton-mills. 

Towards the northern extremity of 
Combe's Moss are the remains of 
ancient military works, consisting of 
two deep trenches running parallel to 
each other for about 200 yards ; that 
which is nearest to the edge of the hill 
being carried down the declivity to the 
extent of a quarter of a mile. 

The Marvel Stone, about 3 miles 
from Buxton, on the right of the road 
to Chapel-en-le-Frith, an object of ge- 
neral as well as local interest, is thus 
described in Bray's ' Derbyshire Tour :' 
* It is a rock of about 280 feet long and 
80 feet broad at the widest part, but 
' does not anywhere rise more than 3 



feet above the surface of the ground." 
The face of it is indented with channels 
or gutters and holes of various sizes, 
there being scarcely anywhere four feet 
square of the surface, which is of a firm 
and hard nature, that is not thus in- 
dented and perforated, but there is no 
reason to believe that this has been 
artificially done. 

EXCURSION TO CASTLETON. 

Our next excursion will lead us to a 
considerable distance from Buxton, to 
another part of the High Peak, not 
less interesting from its natural curi- 
osities than for its wild and rugged, 
scenery. The drive to Castleton is 
described by Mr. Adam as. " decidedly 
one of the most dreary in the Peak of 
Derbyshire, and the most like what the 
Peak originally was than any other 
part." Before the hand of cultivation 
had been at work in the northern parts 
of Derbyshire, hundreds of acres which 
now produce crops of oats, or are plant- 
ed, presented a scene of sterility such 
as w^e find in the country betwixt Bux- 
ton and Castleton. The immediate 
vicinities of Matlock and Buxton, which 
in some parts assume an appearance of 
sylvan beauty scarcely to be expected 
there, owe their improvement to the 
care .and industry of man during the 
last half century. 

Castleton is 12 miles from Buxton, 
over the moors, through the bleak and 
inhospitable village of Sparrow Pit. 
At Fairfield the road turns to the left 
of Buxton race-course, but instead of 



128 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



proceeding to Chapel-en-le-Frith by 
that road, we take another road to the 
right soon after passing the High Peak 
Railway. This road leads from Chapel- 
en-le-Frith to Castleton, and as we 
approach so near the former place we 
may take this opportunity of noticing it. 
Chapel-en-le-Frith, 5 miles from 
Buxton, is a market-town and parish, 
and includes the townships of Bowden's 
Edge, Bradshaw Edge, and Coomb's 
Edge. The number of inhabitants is 
3234, most of whom are employed in 
the manufacture of cotton or paper. 
The Peak Forest lime- works lie three 
miles east of the town, and communicate 
by railway with the Peak Forest Canal, 
which runs within three miles to the 
north-west, in consequence of the vici- 
nity of which there is a large carrying 
trade here. There is a small market on 
Thursday, and numerous fairs in the 
course of the year for the sale of cattle, 
wool, and provisions. There are places 
of worship for the Episcopalians and 
Wesleyan Methodists. The church, 
dedicated to St. Thomas a Becket, was 
rebuilt at the beginning of the last cen- 
tury. The living is a perpetual curacy, 
in the jurisdiction of the dean and 
chapter of Lichfield, having 4001. pri- 
vate benefaction, 400/. royal bounty, 
and 300/. parliamentary grant, and in 
the gift of the resident freeholders, who 
choose a committee of 27 from the three 
townships, by a majority of whom the 
minister is elected. There is an en- 
dowed school at Chapel-en-le-Frith, 
where 19 scholars are taught, and 
another at Bowden's Edge for the in- 



struction of 8 girls. A library has been 
recently established. The town is not 
lighted, and only partially paved. Its 
elevation above the level of the sea at 
low water is 566 feet. The High Peak 
court for the recovery of small debts 
is held here every third week, at which 
the Duke of Devonshire's steward pre- 
sides. About 2 miles south is a Roman 
road and other remains of antiquity. 

The road from Manchester to Shef- 
field, via Stockport, passes through 
Chapel-en-le-Frith ; also the road from 
Buxton to Glossop, through Hayfield. 
Glossop is about 10 miles from Cha- 
pel-en-le-Frith. The parish is pro- 
bably the most extensive in England, 
comprising an area rather exceeding 
78 square miles, or above one half the 
area of the county of Rutland. For 
the administration of ecclesiastical and 
municipal matters, it is divided into 
18 chapelries, townships, and hamlets. 
In 1831 the parish contained 18,080 
inhabitants, great numbers of whom 
are employed in the cotton factories 
which have been established in the ad- 
jacent valleys ; and, but for this source 
of employment, so large a population 
could not obtain the means of sub- 
sistence in this elevated, and for the 
most part, sterile region. The popu- 
lation of the parish of Glossop in 1801 
only amounted to 4000, although the 
cotton manufacture had been intro- 
duced some years previously. The 
Sheffield and Manchester Railway will 
pass through the parish along Dinting 
Vale. The small town of Glossop con- 
tains about 2000 inhabitants, and is situ- 



EXCURSION TO CASTLETON. 



129 



ated on the declivity of a valley which 
is one of the deepest in the county. 
The Rev. William Bagshaw, the non- 
conformist vicar of Glossop, was styled 
from his many virtues the " Apostle of 
the Peak." The church contains a 
bust by Bacon of Mr. Joseph Hague, 
who bequeathed the interest of a hand- 
some sum to the poor of the parish. 
The practice of " rush-bearing " pre- 
vailed in this neighbourhood to a com- 
paratively recent date. About twenty 
years since a new road from Man- 
chester to Sheffield was constructed, 
which passes close to Glossop over the 
moors ; but scarcely any object of inte- 
rest occurs on the immediate line of 
the road, and^the scenery on the whole 
is not very picturesque. The Roman 
station called Melandra Castle occupied 
moderately elevated ground at the meet- 
ing of two mountain streams : from 
the traces of it which remain it appears 
to have been nearly square, 366 feet by 
336 ; the ramparts and part of the ditch 
still remain, and the gates and the site of 
thePraetoriummay be discovered: there 
are the foundations of many buildings 
on the side sloping to the water. The 
lofty eminence of Kinderscout is about 
3 miles south of this road, and 6 miles 
south-east of Glossop. It is situated 
at the head of Edale Dale. Many 
streams have their sources in the moor- 
lands situated north of a line drawn 
from Chapel-en-le-Frith to Castleton. 

Resuming our course by the road 
already indicated we find, about a quar- 
ter of a mile after turning into the 
Chapel-en-le-Frith and Castleton road, 



the Ebbing and Flowing Well. Its 
motion depends upon the quantity of 
rain during the season, and is by no 
means regular, as it has ceased to flow 
for one, two, or three weeks during a 
drought, but in very wet weather it will 
flow and ebb more than once in an 
hour. The time which it continues to 
flow varies, but is sometimes four or 
five minutes, the water appearing at 
first slightly agitated, and then issuing 
forth from nine small apertures with 
a gurgling sound. After remaining 
stationary, it then ebbs to its ordinary 
level. The well is scarcely enclosed, 
and has the appearance of a pool, but 
the height to which it would rise would 
probably exceed a foot if the margin 
were protected so as to prevent the 
over-running of the water. It has 
been known to discharge 23 hogsheads 
in a minute. The phenomenon is ex- 
plained by the operation of the siphon. 
About 2 miles beyond the well is 
Eldon Hole, which, however, is no 
longer regarded as one of the chief 
" wonders of the Peak." It is a natu- 
ral cavern, such as are common in the 
limestone measures, and is not so ca- 
pacious as many others of less notoriety. 
The immeasurable depths once assigned 
to the cavern have dwindled down to 
between 70 and 80 yards. There is an 
account in one of the early volumes of 
the ' Philosophical Transactions,' of an 
attempt to sound the bottom, but a line 
of 933 yards was let down without this 
object being accomplished, owing most 
probably to its being unskilfully ma- 
naged. The sixty-first volume of the 



130 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



' Transactions ' contains an account of 
Mr. Lloyd's descent into the cavern, 
when the floor of the cave was found 
to be 62 yards from the mouth. For 
the first 20 yards the descent is oblique 
and then becomes more difficult from 
projecting crags, and when within 14 
yards of the bottom Mr. Lloyd was 
enabled to swing himself by the rope to 
the lowest part, and here the light was 
sufficiently strong to allow him to read 
print. The tradition that a man let 
down the cavern long ago was drawn 
out in a state of derangement, owing to 
the fright which its horrid chasms had 
occasioned, was probably repeated for 
the purpose of interesting the lovers 
of the marvellous. Leaving the cavern 
we pass at the foot of Mam Tor, or 
the Shivering Mountain, the summit 
of which towers about 800 feet above 
the level of the valley : it is com- 
posed of alternate layers of shale and 
gritstone. Mam Tor is the ancient 
British appellation, but the other is a 
modern name given to the mountain on 
account of the shale decomposing under 
the influence of the weather, and fall- 
ing into the valley below, bringing 
with it detached masses of the grit, 
the fall of which is sometimes heard at 
Castleton. The effects of this " shiver- 
ing " of Mam Tor have, according to 
vulgar report, been going on for ages 
without occasioning any diminution in 
its bulk. The summit, the ascent to 
which is very steep on every side ex- 
cept one, exhibits traces of a Roman 
encampment and of two barrows. It 
commands a very extensive prospect, 



bounded by the loftiest eminences of 
the Peak, and amidst the ruggedness 
there are glimpses into one or two 
dales of considerable beauty. At some 
distance from the larger mountain, on 
the north-west, is Little Mam Tor : its 
geological structure is the same, and 
the decomposition of the shale takes 
place in a similar manner to that of 
its neighbour. 

At the southern foot of Mam Tor is 
the ancient lead-mine of Odin, which 
has probably been worked from the 
time of the Romans. In the seventh 
room of the Gallery of Antiquities in 
the British Museum are several pigs or 
masses of lead, one of which has the 
name of the Emperor Domitian in- 
scribed upon it, a second that of the 
Emperor Hadrian. " These pigs, or 
oblong masses," says a writer in the 
' Library of Entertaining Knowledge,"* 
" afford undoubted evidence that the 
lead-mines of Derbyshire and its neigh- 
bourhood were worked in the Roman 
time. The mines of Britain, in the 
earlier part of the Roman time, were 
worked by the subdued natives. Gal- 
gacus in his memorable speech, pre- 
served by Tacitus, when laying before 
his soldiers the consequences of defeat, 
mentions tributes, mines, and the rest 
of the penalties of slavery." The fol- 
lowing is a representation of the pig of 
lead in the British Museum, which 
bears the name of the Emperor Do- 
mitian : 



* Townley Gallery. 



EXCURSION TO CASTLETON. 



131 



. pt cM»w mme c sm i 




It is 23 inches in length at the bottom ; 
20 upon the upper surface ; in depth 
of lead, four inches ; and weighs 154lbs. 
The inscription reads — " imp. caes. 
domitiano. avg. cos. vii.," contrac- 
tions for " Imperatore Csesare Domi- 
tiano Augusto, Consule VII.," being 



the name and title of the Emperor Do- 
mitian, and the date of the seventh 
year of his consulate. This inscription 
is referred to the year 81. In 1797 
three pigs of lead were presented to the 
Museum, of one of which the follow- 
ing is a representation. The inscrip- 




LARVCONI^ERECVJ^MXAEJVND I 



tion is difficult to read, and is not given 
with full accuracy in the engraving, in 
consequence of the compound and con- 
fused manner in which the letters run 
into each other. The following is the 
accurate reading of the inscription : — 
"l. arvconi. verecvnd, metal, 
lvtvd." The last word, " lvtvd.," is 
understood to be a contraction for Lutu- 
darum, a Roman station, supposed to 
have occupied the site of the present 
town of Chesterfield — and which ap- 



pears to have been in the Roman time 
a little emporium for the mining dis- 
trict of Derbyshire. The whole in- 
scription is conjectured to mean — 
" Lucii Aruconii Verecundi Metallum 
Lutudarense," — Lutudarian metal, (the 
property) of Lucius Aruconius ' Vere- 
cundus. 

The inscription on the pig of lead 
represented in the following woodcut 
is simply that of the name and title of 
the Emperor Hadrian : — 




132 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 




[Entrance of Odin's Mine 

The author of the 'Townley Gal- 
lery' remarks that " the occupation of 
the British mines by the Romans was 
probably more extensive than most 
readers are aware of." It is stated that 
the Roman method of cleansing the lead 
ore was the same as that pursued in this 
country till very recent times. The 
lead of Derbyshire was originally smelt- 



Mam Tor in the distance.] 

ed by wood fires on hills in the open 
air. This inconvenient mode was suc- 
ceeded by what were called hearth-fur- 
naces. The last hearth-furnace was 
pulled down about the year 1780, the 
cupola furnace having succeeded in its 
room. 

Odin's mine consists of two horizontal 
levels, by one of which, a " cast gate," 



EXCURSION TO CASTLETON. 



133 




^4 



131 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



the ore is brought from the mine, and 
the lower one is for drainage. The 
workings have been carried above a 
mile into the heart of the mountain. 

Before reaching Castleton we find 
Peak Cavern, frequently called the 
Devil's Cave. It is situated about a 
hundred yards from the village, in 
Castleton Dale. This dale, six miles 
in length, and, in some parts, two 
miles in breadth, has been celebrated 
for the beauty of its scenery. 

The cavern itself is one of those 
magnificent and extraordinary works 
of Nature which at all times excite the 
admiration and wonder of the specta- 
tor. It would be difficult to imagine a 
scene more august than that which the 
entrance or vestibule of the cave pre- 
sents. On each side the huge grey 
rocks rise almost perpendicularly to 
the height of nearly 300 feet, having on 
the left the rivulet which issues from 
the cavern, and foams along over crags 
and broken masses of limestone. The 
mouth of the cavern is formed by a 
vast canopy of rock which assumes 
the form of a depressed arch nearly 
regular in its structure, and which ex- 
tends in width 120 feet, in height 42, 
and above 90 in receding depth. This 
gloomy recess is inhabited by some 
poor people who subsist by making 
packthreads, and by selling candles and 
officiating as guides to travellers. Their 
rude huts and twine-making machines, 
as exhibited in the woodcut (and c in 
the plan*), produce a singular effect in 

# We subjoin here the references to the plan fol- 
lowing:— a. Stream which loses itself among the 



combination with the natural features 
of the scene. 

After penetrating about thirty yards 
into this recess, the roof becomes lower, 
and a gentle descent conducts by a 
detached rock to the immediate en- 
trance of the interior hollow, which is 
closed by a door (e) kept locked by the 
guides. At this point, the light of 
day, which had gradually softened into 
the obscurity of twilight, totally dis- 
appears, and torches are employed to 
illuminate their progress through the 
darkness of the cavern. The passage 
then becomes low and confined, and 
the explorer is obliged to proceed 
twenty or thirty yards in a stooping 
posture, when he comes to another spa- 
cious opening, whence a path conducts 
to the margin of a small lake, locally 
called "First Water" (/), which is 
about 14 yards in length, but has not 
more than 3 or 4 feet of depth. There 
is a small boat, partly filled with straw, 
on which the visitor lies down, and is 
conveyed into the interior of the cavern 
under a massive arch of rock (g), which 
is about five yards through, and in one 
place descends to within 18 or 20 inches 
of the water. Beyond the lake, a spa- 
cious vacuity, 220 feet in length, 200 
feet broad, and, in some parts, 120 feet 



rocks, b. Entrance to the cavern, c. Cottages. 
d. Broken -rocks fallen from the roof and sides. 
e Door leading from the outer to the second cavern. 
/. Boat in the first water, which conveys one person 
under the arch, g. h. Great Cavern, i. Steps cut in 
the sand to descend to the second water, k. I. En- 
trance to the passage leading to the " chancel," m. 
n. Third cavern, 400 yards from the entrance. 



EXCURSION TO CASTLETON. 



135 




high, opens in the bosom of the rocks, 
but the absence of light precludes the 
spectator from seeing either the sides 
or roof of this great cavern. It is tra- 
versed by a path, consisting partly of 
steps cut in the sand (t), conducting 
from the first to the " Second Water" 
(&). Through this travellers are gene- 
rally carried on the backs of the guides. 
Near the termination of this passage, 
before arriving at the water, there is a 
projecting pile of rocks popularly 
called "Roger Rain's House," on ac- 
count of the incessant fall of water 
from the crevices of the rocks. A 
little beyond this spot is the entrance 
(at /) of another hollow called the 
" Chancel" (?ra). At this point the 
rocks appear broken and dislocated, 
and the sides and prominent parts of 
the cavity are incrusted with large 
masses of stalactite. In the " Chancel," 
the stranger is much surprised and 
impressed by hearing the death-like 
stillness of the place suddenly inter- 
rupted by a burst of vocal music from 
the upper regions of the cavern. The 
tones are wild and discordant, but heard 
in such a place, and under such cir- 
cumstances, produce a powerful im- 
pression. At the conclusion of the per- 
formance, the singers display their 
torches, and .eight or ten women and 
children — the inhabitants of the huts 
at the entrance — appear, ranged in a 
hollow of the rock, about 50 or 60 feet 
from the ground, to which they gain 
access by clambering up a steep ascent 
which commences in the opening at /. 
From the " Chancel" the path leads 



[Plan of Peak Cavern.] 



136 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



onward to the "Devil's Cellar," and 
thence a gradual but somewhat rapid 
descent of about 150 feet conducts to a 
spot called the "Half-way House." 
JNeither of these places claim particular 
notice. Farther on, the way proceeds, 
between three natural arches, pretty 
regularly formed, to another vast cavity 
which is denominated " Great Tom of 
Lincoln,*' from its resemblance to the 
form of a bell. A very pleasing effect 
is produced when this place is illumina- 
ted by a strong light. The arrangement 
of the rocks, the spiracles in the roof, 
and the flowing stream, unite to form a 
scene of no common interest. The dis- 
tance from this spot to the termination 
of the entire hollow is not considerable. 
The vault gradually descends, the pas- 
sage contracts, and at last nearly closes, 
leaving only sufficient room for the 
passage of the water, which appears to 
have a communication with the distant 
mines of the Peak Forest. 

The entire length of this wonderful 
excavation is about 750 yards, and its 
depth 207 yards. It is wholly formed 
of limestone strata, which abound in 
marine exuviae, and occasionally exhi- 
bit an intermixture of chert. Some 
communications with other fissures 
open from different parts of the cavern, 
but none of them are comparable to it 
in extent or appearance. In general, 
the access to the cavern is easy ; but 
in very wet weather it cannot be ex- 
plored, as it is then nearly filled with 
water, which rises to a considerable 
height even at the entrance. In the 
inner part of the cavern a singular 



effect is produced by the explosion of a 
small quantity of gunpowder, when 
inserted in a crevice of the rock. The 
report seems to roll along the roof and 
sides like a heavy and continuous peal 
of overwhelming thunder. 

If the numerous objects of interest in 
this neighbourhood should tempt the 
tourist to prolong his stay, he will find 
good accommodation at the village of 
Castleton. 

The parish of Castleton in 1831 con- 
tained 1428 inhabitants, who are em- 
ployed in the mines, or in agriculture, 
and some derive their support from the 
numerous strangers who make a point 
of visiting the remarkable places in the 
neighbourhood. Ornaments are also 
made here from the Derbyshire spar, 
and there are shops for the sale of these 
articles and other mineral curiosities. 
Castleton is on the road from Sheffield 
to Manchester through Chapel-en-le- 
Frith. It stands on the edge of a valley 
of considerable beauty, and the bold 
eminence which overlooks the village is 
crowned by the keep and other remains 
of an ancient castle. The rock is very 
steep, and the ascent to its summit a 
little difficult. 

From the style of the architecture, 
and the appearance of herring-bone 
masonry in a particular part of the 
walls, King, in his 'Observations on 
Ancient Castles,' supposes that the 
Castle was erected by the Saxons ; and 
Pilkington, in his ' History of Derby- 
shire,' thinks it not improbable that 
| the walls of the area were built by that 
people, and that the keep was added by 



EXCURSION TO CASTLETON. 



137 



^^.^^js^mM 




138 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



the Normans. It is at least "pretty 
certain," he adds, "that there was 
some kind of fortification before the 
Norman conquest, for 4n Domesday- 
book ' terra castellf is expressly men- 
tioned." Whatever truth there may be 
in this opinion, the foundation of the 
castle is now generally attributed to 
William Peveril, the natural son of the 
Conqueror, who, it is certain, received, 
among his other extensive gifts, a grant 
of this estate. His family, however, 
did not long retain their possessions, 
for a grandson of William Peveril, 
having poisoned Ranulph earl of Ches- 
ter, was obliged to secure his safety by 
flight, leaving all his estates to the dis- 
posal of the king, Henry II. During 
the absence of Richard I. in Palestine, 
the castle was placed in the keeping of 
Hugh de Xovant, in accordance with 
an agreement concluded between Long- 
champ, bishop of Ely, and John earl 
of Morteyne. During the wars between 
King John and the barons it fell into 
the hands of the latter, "b'.ut in 1215, 
William de Ferrers, 7th earl of Derby, 
having raised troops for the king, took 
Peveril Castle by assault, and was ap- 
pointed its governor in recompense. 
Among the various individuals who at 
different times afterwards held this 
fortress ma}^ be mentioned Prince Ed- 
ward, in the reign of Henry III., and 
his great antagonist Simon de Montfort, 
who held it in the same reign. In the 
fourth of Edward I., a free grant of the 
castle and honour of Peka with the whole 
forest of High Peka was granted to 
John, Earl of Warenne. In the second 



of Edward III. the castle and forest 
appear to have formed part of the mar- 
riage portion of Joan, sister of the king, 
on her union with David, a prince of 
Scotland. In the forty-sixth of Edward 
III. they were given to John of Gaunt, 
and became absorbed in the duchy of 
Lancaster. 

The castle walls occupy almost the 
entire summit of the mount, and with- 
out these on the east and south sides 
extends a narrow ravine, in some parts 
200 feet deep ; on the west the preci- 
pice has a perpendicular fall of about 
260 feet deep ; whilst on the north, 
which must be considered the only ac- 
cessible side, the path is carried upwards 
by a series of traverses, in which a small 
body of men might with ease stop the 
progress of an army. At the south- 
west angle the precipice partially forms 
the roof of the great cavern (the Peak's 
Hole). The entrance to the castle- 
yard is on the east, and was doubtless 
originally very strong : the remains are 
now, however, inconsiderable. The 
walls are also nearly ruined down to 
the level of the area, though in some 
parts they still measure on the outside 
20 feet in height. On the north side 
the wall was defended by two small 
towers, which were erected also most 
probably to command what we have 
stated was the only mode of approach, 
the ascent on the north side of the hill. 
Xeaf the south-western corner of the 
walls we find the keep, which was 
small, but very massive. Its walls on 
the south and west sides are tolerably 
entire, and at one part are found on 



EXCURSION TO CASTLETON. 



139 




[Plan of Peveril Castle.] 



measurement to be not less than 55 feet 
high. On the outside it forms a square 
of about 38 feet, but in the inside the 
sides are not equal, owing to the vary- 
ing thickness of the wall, which in 
some parts amounts to 6 and in others 
to 8 feet. The wall is composed of 
broken masses of limestone, set in mor- 
tar of such excellent temper that the 
whole has amalgamated into a substance 
hard as rock. The facings both within 
and without are of hewn gritstone. In 
the wall within is the herring-bone 
ornament we have alluded to. The in- 
side of the keep is now a mere blank. 
It originally consisted of two rooms, the 
lower of which appears to have had no 
separate entrance, but was reached by a 
flight of steps (now gone) from the 
upper. The lower room was about 14 



feet high, the upper 16. The roof was 
raised with a gable end to the north and 
south, and was covered with lead. The 
principal entrance into the keep was 
through a noble portal on the south 
side of the upper room, and which 
King supposes was reached by a plat- 
form attached to the wall without. At 
the south-east corner of the keep is a 
narrow winding staircase originally 
communicating with the roof, but now 
in a ruinous condition. We must not 
omit to observe that in the eastern wall 
of the upper apartment is a kind of 
recess of a rectangular figure with 
a singular canopy. King indulges 
in some fanciful] conjectures respect- 
ing this recess ; supposing it to have 
been in Saxon times the place of an 
idol. It has been observed that al- 



140 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



though this castle was almost impreg- 
nable owing to its situation, yet that it 
was but ill adapted for a procrastinated 
siege on account of the want of water ; 
there being no appearance of well or 
reservoir within its walls. But King 
considers, and we think justly (for in 
the present ruinous condition of the 
castle it is impossible to make any accu- 
rate and satisfactory search), " that no 
one acquainted with this kind of build- 
ings can have any doubt as to there 
once having been a well in the tower." 
It may be added too, that in recent 
years a well with an ample supply of 
water has been discovered on the sum- 
mit of Long Cliffe Hill, between which 
and the castle there is a communication, 
though now a very dangerous one, 
across the narrow ridge of rock that 
overtops the entrance into Peak's Hole. 
The castle has given its title to and 
formed the scene of a considerable por- 
tion of the events of one of Sir Walter 
Scott's most popular novels. 

The ascent of the Winnets will be 
found a very pleasant excursion, after 
a visit to the Peak Cavern or the mines 
about Castleton. After proceeding 
about half a mile on level ground from 
the village, the road ascends for about 
2 miles, running necessarily in a wind- 
ing direction in consequence of the 
steepness of the acclivity. Precipices 
a thousand feet in height, dark and 
rugged, rise perpendicularly on each 
side, and every here and there directly 
in front, forming apparently an im- 
passable barrier. For centuries this 
was the only accessible road to Buxton 



and Chapel-en-le-Frith ; it is not 
broader than will admit two carriages 
to pass. Through this tortuous chasm 
the currents of wind appear to be ever 
striving with difficulty to find their 
way — a circumstance which has given 
to the spot the happily expressive and 
poetical appellation of the Winnets, 
i. e. the gates or portals of the winds. 
At one of the sudden turns of the road 
to the left, a most beautiful view of the 
vale opens to the eye, contrasting its 
rich pastoral beauty with the wild and 
barren mountains that shut it in. The 
breadth of the valley, as before stated, 
is probably about 2 miles from north to 
south, and the length from east to west 
between 5 and 6 miles. Various streams 
run through the vale, and on the north 
and south sides we see the mouths of 
several smaller valleys opening into it* 
All around are lofty eminences ; west- 
ward the hills assume an amphithea- 
trical form, and in that direction we 
see the village of Castleton, close to 
which, below, is the famous Peak's 
Hole, or Devil's Cave, and above, on 
the very edge of the perpendicular 
precipice, is the Castle. The pass ter- 
minates in a wild and extensive tract 
of moorland. The last opening is 
formed by masses of rock forming 
gigantic portals, through which Hope 
Dale bursts upon the view. 

Leaving the free mountain air, our 
next visit shall be into the depths of 
the mines. That called the Speedwell 
Level, at the foot of the Winnets, is the 
most remarkable. It was driven be- 
tween 60 and 70 years ago by a com- 



EXCURSION TO CASTLETON. 



141 



pariy of adventurers from Staffordshire, 
but after a large expenditure and eleven 
years' labour the works were aban- 
doned. Entering by an arched vault, 
a flight of above a hundred steps leads 
to the level, where the visitor and guide 
enter a boat, which is pushed, by means 
of wooden pegs in the side of the rock, 
along a channel containing a depth 
of water of about 3 feet. This chan- 
nel was blasted and cut through a 
rock of adamant hardness, which con- 
tains several veins of lead ore, though 
they are not of sufficient value to defray 
the expense of working. At the dis- 
tance of 650 yards from the entrance, 
the level opens into an immense gulf, 
the roof and bottom of which are in- 
visible. The navigation is continued 
by an arch thrown across the fissure, 
and here, leaving the boat and ascend- 
ing a stage, the attention of the visitor 
is directed to the remarkable recesses 
which surround him. At the depth of 
90 feet there commences a pool of 
water named the Bottomless Pit, and 
which, during the working of the mine, 
is calculated to have swallowed up 
40,000 tons of material. The depth of 
the waters is reported to be above 300 
feet, and they most probably commu- 
nicate with other abysses in the heart 
of the mountain. The water from the 
level rushes into this dismal abyss with 
an appalling sound. The depth of the 
fissure below the surface of the moun- 
tain is estimated at 280 yards, and 
rockets have been sent up to the height 
of 450 feet without rendering the roof 
visible. The letting off of a Bengal 



light in this cavity has a singular effect. 
The fissure is midway between the 
commencement and termination of the 
level, but in the portion beyond this 
point there is nothing particularly 
noticeable. 

The Blue John Mine, situated on the 
side of Tre Cliff opposite Mam Tor, is 
the only one in which this beautiful 
material is found in masses of sufficient 
size for working. Its recesses are 
supposed to be connected with a series 
of caverns extending over an area of 
many square miles, and including El- 
don Hole, Peak Cavern, Speedwell, and 
Bagshaw's Cavern at Bradwell. Rude 
steps lead downwards about 60 yards, 
beyond which are caverns and passages 
that have been explored to a distance 
of 3 miles, but the visitor must fre- 
quently descend by means of ropes 
beyond a certain point. Before reach- 
ing this he will, however, have seen the 
most remarkable things in the mine, — 
a perpendicular rock above 50 feet 
high, encrusted with stalactite of the 
purest white ; the same material form- 
ing rich cornices or assuming the ap- 
pearance of drapery : and Mr. Adam 
states that many parts of the mine have 
a great resemblance to the aisles of a 
Gothic cathedral. The fluor spar ex- 
ists in flattish lumps usually about 3 
inches thick, and from 3 to 12 inches 
in length, though larger pieces are 
found. Mr. Adam has in his possession 
a piece above 2 feet long, and from 16 
to 18 inches thick. When the colour 
is so dark as to become almost opaque, 
the spar is put into an oven and brought 



112 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



nearly to a white heat, when a great 
part of the colour is discharged and it 
assumes brilliant amethyst hues. The 
charge for exploring the mine is for 
one person 2s. ; for three 4s. 6d. ; for 
four 5s. ; and Is. per head for every 
additional person. The guides make 
an additional charge if a Bengal light 
be used. 

Brad well Cavern is remarkable for 
the richness and beauty of the stalac- 
tite matter which it contains. It is 
not very difficult to explore, and is 
visited by ladies, who put over their 
dress a miners frock. The names 
given to the different grottoes or re- 
cesses of the cavern are rather fanciful : 
thus we have the Music Chamber, the 
Grotto of Paradise, Grotto of Calypso, 
Hall of State, &c. Bradwell Cavern 
is between Castleton and Hope. 

We may now leave Castleton, though 
a sojourn of some days would be neces- 
sary to become well acquainted with 
all the attractive spots in the imme- 
diate neighbourhood. Proceeding by 
the Sheffield road to Hathersage, 6 
miles distant, we pass through Hope 
Dale, whose beauty is enhanced by 
the stern features of the surrounding 
country. It is watered by the Derwent, 
whose banks are beautifully fringed 
with trees and plants. Hope is a 
very ancient village, and a church 
existed here before the Conquest. The 
parish is very extensive and comprises 
an area of nearly 60 square miles, but 
the population was under 4000 in 1831, 
and on account of the failure of the 
lead-mines was at that period decreas- 



ing. At Brough, a hamlet of Hope, 
there appears to have been a Roman 
station. The camp was at the spot 
called the Castle, near the junction of 
the Nooe and Bradwell water, and the 
remains of Roman buildings, tiles, 
bricks, coins, &c, have been discovered 
at various times. The neighbourhood 
is not uninteresting to an antiquarian. 
Two neighbouring hills are called re- 
spectively Win Hill and Lose Hill, 
from the event of a battle which tra- 
dition records to have been fought be- 
tween two parties who had previously 
encamped on the two heights. A little 
to the eastward of Win-hill Pike, a 
rude urn of baked clay was found 
under a heap of stones. On Mill-stone 
Edge Moor are the remains of a forti- 
fication called the Carle's Work. Be- 
hind the rough defences a body of men 
had defended themselves in some re- 
mote period. Camp Green, a circular 
area at a little distance from Hather- 
sage church, was another rude fortress 
defended by a mound of earth and a 
deep ditch. An early volume of the 
' Archaeologia ' contains an account of 
a rocking-stone, rock basin, and tumuli 
on Hathersage Moor. In the latter 
were found urns, beads, and rings. At 
a little distance from this part of the 
moor was another rocking-stone and 
rock-basin, near which was a rock in 
which a rude seat was cut, called C air's 
Chair. 

Hathersage is situated in the midst 
of a mountainous tract near the eastern 
extremity of Hope Dale. The church is 
rather handsome, and its spire is a con- 



HATHERSAGE. 



143 




144 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



spicuous object from the different open- 
ings of the hills. The churchyard is 
the reputed burial-place of Little John, 
the companion of Robin Hood. Two 
ancient upright stones mark the spot 
where his remains reposed previous to 
their exhumation many years ago. 
Brookfield is a small hamlet a short dis- 
tance north of Hathersage, apparently 
buried in the seclusion of the moun- 
tains. 

Instead of pursuing the road to Shef- 
field, 9 miles distant, we shall proceed 
along the banks of the Derwent to 
Stoney Middleton. The view of the 
south-west part of Yorkshire from the 
elevated parts of the Sheffield road is 
very extensive, the village spire of 
Laughton-en-le-Morthen, situated many 
miles from the border of Derbyshire, 
being a conspicuous object. At Grin- 
dleford Bridge the road from Bake- 
well to Sheffield leaves the line we 
are now traversing. Stoke Hall is 
beautifully situated a little to the south 
of Grindleford Bridge on rising ground, 
with the Derwent flowing at the foot 
of the gardens and plantations. Pur- 
suing the banks of the Derwent, we 
pass the small hamlet of Calver, through 
which there is a road to Hassop, where 
Lord Newburgh has a seat. The nu- 
merous limekilns show the employment 
of the population. The village of 
Baslow, at the junction of roads from 
Bakewell, Sheffield, and Chesterfield, 
is situated on the Derwent, which here 
flows through rich meadows. The 
church is close to the river, and with 
the bridge constitutes a very pleasing 



picture. Baslow is much frequented 
by the lovers of the angle. It is four 
miles from Bakewell, and two from 
Chatsworth. 

We shall not pursue this road further, 
but retrace our steps until we reach 
the road leading to Stoney Middleton, 
which is at a point about two miles 
north-west of Baslow. About a mile 
on the left is the village situated at 
the opening of Middleton Dale. The 
country-seat of Lord Chief Justice 
Denman is at the entrance of the vil- 
lage. His Lordship has fitted up baths 
in the village for the public accom- 
modation. The church is a neat struc- 
ture of modern date. The appearance 
of the village is singular, the houses 
appearing as if " hewn out of the grey 
rocks which impend over it, and scarce- 
ly distinguishable from them." The 
lime-kilns are very numerous in the 
neighbourhood, and are one of the 
principal sources of employment to 
the inhabitants. The dale is narrow, 
and its claims to beauty have been 
disputed, but it is certainly worthy 
of a visit. Mr. Warner, a tourist of 
the last century, disparagingly says : — 
" A lively fancy may, indeed, point 
to itself something resembling castel- 
lated buildings or rude fortresses in 
the perpendicular crags, which, in 
some places, rise to the height of 400 
feet ; and the turnings of the dale are 
so sharp as occasionally to give the 
idea of all further progress being pre- 
vented by the opposition of an insur- 
mountable barrier of precipitous rock. 
Its character, therefore, is rather sin- 



EYAM. 



145 



gularity than magnificence or love- 
liness." The length of the dale is 
about two miles, and the sides form a 
nearly perpendicular rampart until we 
arrive at a breach about half a mile 
from the village through which a 
road leads to the village of Eyam. 
Beyond this breach the sides of the 
dale are broken into a greater variety 
of forms. The stream which flows 
through the dale is discoloured by the 
matter precipitated from the lime, in 
consequence of which its effect is less 
picturesque than it would otherwise 
be. On emerging at the extremity 
of the dale, nothing is seen but a wild 
and sterile country stretching as far 
as the eye can reach. 

Eyam is one of the most pleasant 
and most healthful of Peak villages. 
Surrounded on every side by bleak 
and barren mountains, it appears to 
be one of the last places where a com- 
munity would choose to take up an 
abode ; yet, composed of plain, neat, 
cheerful cottages, each having a gar- 
den, and every interval filled up with 
trees of the most luxuriant growth, — 
its antique church showing its grey 
tower among the foliage, and every 
house partaking of that simple rural 
character which never fails to please — 
it presents a most agreeable picture of 
content and comfort. Eyam is but 
little known. Although a good turn- 
pike road was made many years ago 
(in those times when road-makers 
preferred taking a line over the sum- 
mit rather than round the base of a 
mountain), it is not much used. The 



place is consequently little visited ex- 
cept by a few strangers who come to 
view its antique cross, the tomb of Mrs. 
Mompesson, or the romantic dell in 
which stands the singular rock called 
Cucklett Church. Here were memora- 
bly signalized the prudence, energy, 
and devotedness of Mr. Mompesson 
and his wife, during the great plague 
of 1666. The disease was conveyed 
by a box of cloth sent from London to 
a tailor in the village. He and his 
family were the first victims. The 
disease spread with an astonishing 
rapidity, — entering almost every house, 
and carrying off a part of every family. 
In the churchyard, on the neighbour- 
ing hills, and in the fields bordering 
the village, graves were dug ready to 
receive the expiring sufferers, and 
the earth, with an unhallowed haste, 
was closed upon them. Mr. Mom- 
pesson, who then held the living of 
Eyam, was about twenty-eight years 
of age, — his wife about a year younger ; 
they had two children, a son and a 
daughter, both of necessity very young. 
On the breaking out of the disorder, 
Mrs. Mompesson with her babes in 
her arms earnestly solicited her hus- 
band to fly with them from the de- 
voted spot. Her entreaties were in 
vain ; — he had determined never to de- 
sert his flock. In his turn he became 
the suppliant, and besought his wife 
to retire from Eyam with the children 
till the visitation had passed over. 
She would not abandon her husband. 
They finally resolved to abide together 
the danger of the dispensation, but to 



146 



JOURNEY- BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



send off their infants to a place of ap- 
parently greater safety. To prevent 
as much as possible the effects of con- 
tagion, Mr. Mompesson closed the 
church, and retiring to Cucklett-dale, 
a dell at a little distance from the 
town, bounded on one side by craggy 
rocks, and on the other overhung by 
trees as planted by the hand of nature, 
he placed himself in a natural arch at 
a great height above the • level, and 
thence, as from a pulpit, addressed 
his congregation, and performed the 
accustomed service. The narrow 
gloomy dell, the babbling stream 
which ran along its bottom, the over- 
hanging tors, the perforated rock 
since named Cucklett Church, the 
graceful trees, and its complete free - 
dom from every interruption, would 
render this place at the present day 
one of the most fascinating of confined 
landscapes ; but when we fancy in 
our minds the assembled villagers 
seated on the rising ground on one 
side the brook, at a distance from one 
another, as if each feared contagion 
from his neighbour, but all anxiously 
intent on catching every word of the 
preacher on the rock, and bending 
in solemn prayer before that Being 
who could alone afford them comfort 
and protection, we feel ourselves car- 
ried back to the scene of 1666, and 
are especially lost in admiration of 
the holy pastor who could thus direct 
to one great end the jarring passions 
and the afflictions of our nature. 

An imaginary boundary line was 
drawn around the village, and at va- 



rious places were stations appointed 
for the inhabitants of other towns to 
bring the necessaries of subsistence, 
leaving them upon a stone, without 
any person being near, and returning 
for the value, which was found depo- 
sited in the same place in a trough of 
clean spring water. For seven months 
did Mr. Mompesson watch over Eyam, 
for so long did the pestilence conti- 
nue its ravages. He retained his 
health, but his devoted wife, while re- 
joicing at her husband's safety, fell a 
victim to the fury of the disease. She 
was buried in the churchyard, where 
her tombstone yet remains. Out of 
a population of 330, the number who 
died was 250, and graves were dug, 
and cemeteries formed, on the hills on 
every side of the town. One of these 
burying- places yet remains in a field 
about half a mile to the eastward of 
Eyam, known by the name of Riley 
Grave Stones, where one family alone 
seems to have been buried, all having 
died within the space of eight days with 
the exception of one boy. Six head- 
stones and one tabular monumental 
stone yet remain to tell the tale of the al- 
most total extinction of a whole family. 
The inscription, though much worn, 
may still be distinctly traced. On 
the four sides of the tomb which 
contains the ashes of the father of this 
unhappy family of sufferers are the 
words, ' Horam Nescitis, Orate, Vigi- 
late' A descendant of the boy who 
escaped, introduced about the middle 
of the last century into Sheffield the 
method of plating copper with silver. 



TIDESWELL. 



147 



Miss Seward was born at Eyam, and 
spent the years of her childhood here. 
Her father was the rector, and built 
the parsonage house. The shock of 
the earthquake at Lisbon in 1755 was 
felt very distinctly by the miners at 
Eyam. 

From Eyam the road passes through 
a country which offers few objects of 
interest. On the left is the elevated 
ridge called Longstone Edge, and 
passing through the village of Foolow 
we soon reach Tideswell, which is 4i 
miles from Eyam. 

Tideswell is a small town situated 
in a bottom amid bleak naked hills. 
The houses are low, irregularly situ- 
ated, and ill built. A rivulet of clear 
water runs through the town; the 
ebbing well, which is supposed to 
have given a name to the town, has 
ceased to flow. The church is a fine 
building in the form of a cross, built 
about the middle of the fourteenth cen- 
tury, and principally in the decorated 
English style. The interior is hand- 
some, possessing a nave with two side 
aisles, a north and south transept, and 
a spacious chancel. The pulpit is 
of stone, and there are some ancient 
stalls. The chancel is lighted by nine 
richly ornamented Gothic windows, 
and contains the monument of Robert 
Pursglove, suffragan bishop of Hull 
in the reign of Mary, and founder of 
a free- school and almshouses for twelve 
poor people at Tideswell. The tower 
of the church is at the west end : it is 
embattled, and has eight pinnacles. 
There was formerly a chapel of higher 



antiquity than the church, at Litton, but 
the ruins were demolished some time 
since. The market-day is Wednesday. 
That part of the parish which contains 
the town had in 1831 a population of 
1553, many of whom areengagedin spin- 
ning and weaving cotton : previous to 
the introduction of the cotton manufac- 
ture, mining was the predominant occu- 
pation. The hamlets of Litton and 
Wheston, and the chapelry of Worm- 
hill in Tideswell parish, had in 1831 a 
population of 866, 75, and 313, re- 
spectively, making the aggregate 
population of the parish 2807. The 
living of Tideswell is a vicarage, in 
the peculiar jurisdiction of the dean 
and chapter of Lichfield, in whose 
gift it is : the annual value is 109/., 
with a glebe-house ; the perpetual cu- 
racy of Wormhill is of the annual value 
of 270/., with a glebe-house, and is in 
the gift of trustees. Upon the sum- 
mit of a hill, immediately above Tides- 
well, there is a stone of rude workman- 
ship embedded in the earth : it has a 
deep socket in which a shaft or pillar 
was probably inserted. At Wheston, a 
mile from Tideswell, there is an an- 
cient cross of rather elegant design. 

There is a road from Tideswell to 
Castleton about four miles distant, but 
the country through which it passes is 
dr.eary and uninviting, stone " hedges," 
a few cottages inhabited by miners 
or small farmers, or perhaps by per- 
sons who unite both occupations, are 
all that meet the eye until we reach 
the eminence above Castleton. There 
is also a road to Chapel-en-le- Frith 



148 



JOURNEY-BOOK OF DERBYSHIRE. 



over the desolate tract called the Peak 
Forest, another to Bake well, and also 
one to the turnpike road from Bake- 
well to Sheffield, which latter has roads 
falling into it at each side from various 
places. 



The distance to Buxton from Tides- 
well is about 6 miles ; and we now 
return to this central point for the 
tourist, passing through a very rugged 
district. 



INDEX. 



Alfreton, 69 
Arbor Low, 115 
Ashbourn, 111 
Asbford, 99 

Bake well, 100 

Barlborough, 81 

Barlow, 143 

Beauchief Abbey, 80 

Beeley, 91 

Beigkton, 81 

Belper, 64 

Blue John Mine, 141 

Bolsover Castle, 76 

Bonsai, 88 

Bradley Park, 60 

Bradwell Cavern, 142 

Brough, 142 

Butterly Iron Works, 69 

Buxton, 117; road to from Amber Gate 
Station, id.; situation of, 118; the old 
and new town, id. ; the Crescent, 119 ; the 
baths and waters, id. ; public walks and 
drives, 122 ; excursions from, 124 ; to 
Pool's Hole, id.; Diamond Hill, 125; 
Chee Tor and Miller's Dale, &c, id.; 
Axe Edge, 126 ; Combe's Moss, 127 ; the 
Marvel Stone, id. ; to Castleton, id. 

Buxton, Jedediah, 79 

Calke Abbey, 60 

Calver, 143 

Canals in the county, 37 

Castleton, 136 

Chatsworth, 91 

Chesterfield, 73 

Clay Cross, 71 

Codnor Park, 37 

Collieries, Clay Cross, 72 ; Tupton, id. 

Crich,68, 115 

Cromford, 67 

Dale Abbey, 61 



Darley Dale, 106 

Derbyshire, Situation, Boundaries, and Extent, 
1 ; Surface, 2 ; Rivers, 4 ; Geology and 
Mineralogy, 7 ; Agriculture and Rural 
Economy, 1 1 ; History and Antiquities, 15 ; 
Population and Occupations, 19; Legal 
and Ecclesiastical Divisions, 20 ; Markets 
and Fairs, 21; County Electors, 22; 
Mining Courts, 23 ; Value of Livings, 24 ; 
Local Taxation and Expenditure, 26 ; 
Statistics of Education and Crime, 28 ; 
Savings' Banks, 29 

Derby, Situation, 41 ; History, 42 ; Public 
Buildings of, 45 ; Mechanics' Institute, 49 ; 
Arboretum, 50 ; Manufactures, 54 ; Popu- 
lation, 56 

Distance Table for the County, 39 ; for the 
North Midland Railway, 35 

Dovedale, 107 

Dronfield, 79 

Duffield, 64 

Ebbing and Flowing Well, 129 

Eckington, 81 

Eggington, 60 

EldonHole, 129 

Elmton, 79 

Elvaston Castle, 61 

Excursions, on Birmingham and Derby Rail- 
way, 58; on Derby and Nottingham Rail- 
way, 61 ; to Kedleston, 63 ; on the North 
Midland Railway, 64; from Matlock : to 
Chatsworth and Haddon, 91 ; to Dovedale 
and Ashbourn, 107; to the Rocks, Tors, 
and Druidical Remains near Matlock, 112 ; 
to Winfield and Hardwick, 115 ; from 
Buxton : to Pool's Hole, 124 ; to Diamond 
Hill, Chee Tor, and Miller's Dale, 125 ; to 
Axe Edge, 126; Combe's Moss, 127; to 
Castleton, id. 

Eyam, 145 

Foremark, 59 

Glossop, 128 
Grindleford Bridge, 143 



150 



INDEX. 



Haddon Hall, 104 

Hardwick Hall, 72 

Hassop, 143 

Hathersage, 142; ancient remains near, id. 

Heage, 68 

Heanor, 62 

Hope, 142 

Ham Hall, 109 

Ilkeston, 62 

Kedleston, 63 

Lead, Roman pigs of, 131 
Little Chester, 58 

Mam Tor, 130 

Matlock, 83 ; Matlock Dale, id. ; the baths 
and waters, 84 ; caverns, mines, and petri- 
fying wells at, 87 ; Masson and the High 
Tor, id.; Stonnis, 88; Bonsai id. ; the 
Romantic Rocks, 89 ; Excursions from 
to Chatsworth and Haddon, 91 ; to 
Dovedale and Ashbourn, 107 ; to the 
Rocks, Tors, and Druidical Remains, 112; 
to Winfield and Hardwick, 115 

Melbourne, 59 
Monsal Dale, 100 

Ockbrook, 62 
Odin's Mine, 130 
Osmaston, 58 

Peak Cavern, 134 
Pentridge, 68 
Peveril Castle, 137 

Railways, 31; Mansfield and Pinxton, id.; 
Cromford and High Peak, id. ; Birming- 
ham and Derby, 32; Midland Counties, 
33 ; North Midland, and Distance Table of 
Stations, 34 ; Manchester and Sheffield, 36 ; 
Railway Stations — Derby, 40 ; Willington, 
58 ; Walton-upon-Trent, 6 1 ; Spondon, id.; 
Borrowash, id. ; Sawley, 62 ; Long Eaton, 
id. ; Duffield, 64 ; Belper, id. ; Amber 



Gate, 65; Winfield, 69; Smithy Moor, 
71 ; Tupton, id.; Chesterfield, 76; Stave- 
ley, 81 ; Eckington, id* ; Beighton, id. 

Repton, 58 

Roads, principal, in the county, 36 ; roads 
north and south of Derby, 57; Derby to 
Uttoxeter, 60; Derby to Mansfield. 62; 
from Belper, 65 ; to and from Chesterfield, 
79; from Amber Gate to Matlock, 83; 
Matlock to Chatsworth, 91 ; Chatsworth to 
Bakewell, Ashford, and Monsal Dale, 99 ; 
Matlock to Dovedale, 106 ; Matlock to 
Winfield and Hardwick, 115; Matlock to 
Buxton, 117 ; Buxton to Chapel-en-le-Frith 
and Castleton, 127; Castleton to Hather- 
sage, 142 ; Hathersage to Stoney Middleton 
and Eyam, 143 ; Eyam to Tideswell, 147 ; 
Tideswell to Castleton, id. ; Tideswell to 
Buxton, id. 

Router Rocks, 112 

Rowsley, 106 

Speedwell Mine, 140 

Stanton Woodhouse, 106 

Staveley, 81 

Stoke Hall, 143 

Stonnis, 88 

Stoney Middleton, 143 

Sudbury, 60 

Tideswell, 147 

Tissington, 107 

Tor, etymology of the word, 83 

Tupton collieries, 72 

Whittington, 81 
Willersley Castle, 83 
Winfield Manor House, 70 
Wingerworth, 72 
' Winnets, the, 140 
Winster, 67 

Wirksworth, 66, 88 ; Barmote Courts at, and 
Miners' Standard Dish, 66 

Youlgreave, 68 



London : Printed by William Clowes and Sons, Stamford Street, 




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